Miniştrii apărării din statele membre ale NATO vor aproba joi, în cadrul unei reuniuni la Bruxelles, un nou master plan de apărare împotriva oricărui potenţial atac din partea Rusiei pe multiple fronturi, ei reafirmând astfel voinţa Alianţei de descurajare a Moscovei în pofida noului focus pe China, transmite Reuters, citând surse diplomatice şi alte oficialităţi.
Strategia, care este secretă, merge dincolo de planurile de apărare existente şi vizează să asigure pregătirea împotriva unui atac simultan în regiunile Mării Baltice şi Mării Negre, care ar putea include arme nucleare, piratarea reţelelor informatice sau atacuri din spaţiu.
Oficialităţi şi diplomaţi afirmă că un astfel de atac nu este iminent. Rusia dezminte orice intenţii belicoase şi susţine că Alianţa este cea care riscă să destabilizeze Europa prin astfel de preparative.
Însă oficialităţi americane, diplomaţi NATO şi foşti responsabili spun că acest ‘Concept pentru descurajare şi apărare în zona euro-atlantică’ – împreună cu planul său strategic de implementare – este necesar întrucât Rusia dezvoltă sisteme avansate de rachete şi desfăşoară trupe şi echipamente mai aproape de graniţele Aliaţilor.
‘Dacă vei avea un conflict major de acest tip, vei avea nevoie de activitate în întreaga zonă de operaţiuni’, a explicat un responsabil guvernamental american de rang înalt. ‘Diferite lucruri s-ar putea întâmpla simultan, iar aceasta necesită o planificare comprehensivă’, a adăugat el.
În mai, Rusia a masat aproximativ 100.000 de militari la graniţa cu Ucraina, iar în septembrie a folosit noi roboţi de luptă în exerciţii militare de amploare cu aliatul său Belarus, care au alarmat statele baltice din NATO.
Rusia îşi modernizează sau înlocuieşte sistemele militare spaţiale sovietice pentru potenţiale atacuri asupra sateliţilor pe orbită, dezvoltă tehnologii bazate pe inteligenţă artificială pentru a perturba sisteme de comandă aliate, şi, totodată, dezvoltă ‘super-arme’.
Aceste arme, dezvăluite în 2018, includ rachete hipersonice de croazieră cu capacitate nucleară ce s-ar putea sustrage sistemelor de avertizare timpurie.
Generalul american în retragere Ben Hodges, fost comandant al forţelor americane în Europa între 2014-2017, a declarat pentru Reuters că speră ca planul strategic să aducă mai multă coerenţă pentru apărarea colectivă a NATO, mai precis mai multe resurse pentru zona Mării Negre.
‘În opinia mea, aceasta este un punct fierbinte mai probabil decât Baltica’, a afirmat Hodges, amintind că mai puţine state mari din Alianţă, cum sunt Marea Britanie sau Franţa, au o prezenţă puternică în Marea Neagră şi că Turcia se concentrează mai mult pe conflictul din Siria.
La rândul său, Jamie Shea, fost responsabil al NATO, în prezent membru al think-tank-ului ‘Prietenii Europei’ de la Bruxelles, spune că planul ar putea ajuta şi la o consolidare a atenţiei asupra Rusiei într-o perioadă în care SUA, Marea Britanie şi Franţa dezvoltă strategii pentru zona indo-pacifică.
Aliaţii caută să-şi consolideze prezenţa în regiunea indo-pacifică şi să contracareze ascensiunea militară a Chinei, desfăşurând mai multe nave pentru a ţine deschise rutele maritime.
‘Premisa de până acum a fost aceea că Rusia este o bătaie de cap, dar nu este o ameninţare iminentă. Dar ruşii fac unele lucruri îngrijorătoare, fac antrenamente cu roboţi şi rachete de croazieră hipersonice care ar putea fi, într-adevăr, foarte disruptive’, a adăugat Jamie Shea, citat de Reuters si Agerpres.
NATO to agree master plan to deter growing Russian threat, diplomats say
BRUSSELS, Oct 21 (Reuters) – NATO defence ministers are set to agree a new master plan on Thursday to defend against any potential Russian attack on multiple fronts, reasserting a bid to deter Moscow despite the alliance’s new focus on China, diplomats and officials said.
The strategy, which is confidential, goes beyond existing regional defence plans and aims to prepare for any simultaneous attack in the Baltic and Black Sea regions, possibly including nuclear weapons, hacking of computer networks or from space.
Officials and diplomats say no such attack is imminent. Russia denies any war-like intentions and says it is NATO that risks destabilising Europe with such preparations.
But U.S. officials, NATO diplomats and former officials say the “Concept for Deterrence and Defence in the Euro-Atlantic Area” – and its strategic implementation plan – is needed as Russia develops advanced weapon systems and deploys troops and equipment closer to allied borders.
“If you have that kind of major conflict, it will require activity across the entire area of operations,” said a senior U.S. government official. “Various things could happen at the same time, and that really requires holistic planning.”
In May, Russia amassed some 100,000 troops on its border with Ukraine, the highest number since Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014, according to Western officials. In September, Russia used new combat robots in large military drills with its ex-Soviet ally Belarus that have alarmed Baltic allies.
With Russia upgrading or replacing Soviet military space systems to potentially attack satellites in orbit, developing artificial intelligence-based technologies to disrupt allied command systems, Moscow is also developing “super weapons”.
Unveiled in 2018, they include nuclear-capable hypersonic cruise missiles that could evade early-warning systems.
Retired U.S. General Ben Hodges, who commanded U.S. army forces in Europe from 2014 until 2017, told Reuters he hoped the strategic plan would lead to more coherence in NATO’s collective defence, meaning more resources for the Black Sea region.
“To me, this is the more likely flashpoint than the Baltics,” Hodges said, noting fewer big allies such as Britain and France with a strong presence in the Black Sea, and Turkey more focused on conflict in Syria.
Jamie Shea, a former senior NATO official now at the Friends of Europe think-tank in Brussels, said the plan might also help to cement a focus on Russia at a time when the United States, Britain and France are developing Indo-Pacific strategies.
The allies are seeking to boost their presence in the Indo-Pacific and counter China’s rising military power, deploying more ships to keep open sea routes.
Summary
- Prepares for simultaneous attack, such as nuclear and hack
- Officials and diplomats say no such attack is imminent
- Russia denies any war-like intentions
BRUSSELS, Oct 21 (Reuters) – NATO defence ministers are set to agree a new master plan on Thursday to defend against any potential Russian attack on multiple fronts, reasserting a bid to deter Moscow despite the alliance’s new focus on China, diplomats and officials said.
The strategy, which is confidential, goes beyond existing regional defence plans and aims to prepare for any simultaneous attack in the Baltic and Black Sea regions, possibly including nuclear weapons, hacking of computer networks or from space.
Officials and diplomats say no such attack is imminent. Russia denies any war-like intentions and says it is NATO that risks destabilising Europe with such preparations.
But U.S. officials, NATO diplomats and former officials say the “Concept for Deterrence and Defence in the Euro-Atlantic Area” – and its strategic implementation plan – is needed as Russia develops advanced weapon systems and deploys troops and equipment closer to allied borders.
“If you have that kind of major conflict, it will require activity across the entire area of operations,” said a senior U.S. government official. “Various things could happen at the same time, and that really requires holistic planning.”
In May, Russia amassed some 100,000 troops on its border with Ukraine, the highest number since Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014, according to Western officials. In September, Russia used new combat robots in large military drills with its ex-Soviet ally Belarus that have alarmed Baltic allies.
With Russia upgrading or replacing Soviet military space systems to potentially attack satellites in orbit, developing artificial intelligence-based technologies to disrupt allied command systems, Moscow is also developing “super weapons”.
Unveiled in 2018, they include nuclear-capable hypersonic cruise missiles that could evade early-warning systems.
Retired U.S. General Ben Hodges, who commanded U.S. army forces in Europe from 2014 until 2017, told Reuters he hoped the strategic plan would lead to more coherence in NATO’s collective defence, meaning more resources for the Black Sea region.
“To me, this is the more likely flashpoint than the Baltics,” Hodges said, noting fewer big allies such as Britain and France with a strong presence in the Black Sea, and Turkey more focused on conflict in Syria.
Jamie Shea, a former senior NATO official now at the Friends of Europe think-tank in Brussels, said the plan might also help to cement a focus on Russia at a time when the United States, Britain and France are developing Indo-Pacific strategies.
The allies are seeking to boost their presence in the Indo-Pacific and counter China’s rising military power, deploying more ships to keep open sea routes.
“The assumption up until now, has been that Russia is a nuisance, but it’s not an imminent threat. But the Russians are doing some worrying things, they’re practicing with robotics and hypersonic cruise missiles could be very disruptive indeed,” Shea said.
