Nato to strengthen rapid reaction force by nearly eightfold
Troop increase to 300,000 ‘biggest overhaul of collective defence and deterrence since Cold War’
Nato allies will decide at a summit this week to increase the strength of their rapid reaction force nearly eightfold to 300,000 troops as part of their response to an “era of strategic competition”, the transatlantic security alliance’s secretary general has said.
The Nato Response Force (NRF) currently numbers about 40,000 soldiers who can be deployed quickly when needed.
Coupled with other measures including the deployment of forces to defend specific allies, Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the move was part of the “biggest overhaul of collective defence and deterrence since the Cold War”.
“These troops will exercise together with home defence forces,” Stoltenberg said.
“And they will become familiar with local terrain, facilities, and our new pre-positioned stocks, so that they can respond smoothly and swiftly to any emergency.”
In response to the Kremlin’s decision to invade Ukraine, United States President Joe Biden and his Nato counterparts agreed in February to send thousands of troops, backed by air and naval support, to protect allies near Russia and Ukraine.
The 30-nation organisation decided at the time to send parts of the NRF and elements of a quickly deployable spearhead unit to the alliance’s eastern flank, marking the first time the force had been used in a defence role.
Stoltenberg made the remarks at a press conference ahead of a Nato summit this week in Madrid when the 30 allies are expected to also agree on further support to Ukraine in its war against Russia.
Stoltenberg said he expected allies to make clear they considered Russia “as the most significant and direct threat to our security”. At the summit, allies would also decide to strengthen their battle groups on Nato’s eastern flanks, he said.
In Nato’s new strategic concept, the alliance was also set to address for the first time the security challenges posed by China, Stoltenberg said.
In Madrid, allies would discuss how to respond to the growing influence of Russia and China in their “southern neighbourhood”, he added.
Stoltenberg said allies would agree to deliver further military support to Ukraine when they convened in Spain, with Nato members set to adopt a “strengthened comprehensive assistance package”, including deliveries of secure communication and anti-drone systems.
Over the long term, Stoltenberg said allies aimed to help Ukraine transition from being a user of Soviet-era armaments to modern Nato equipment. The world’s seven leading economic powers also underscored their commitment to Ukraine for “as long as it takes”.
Another central theme at the Nato summit will be the possibility for Finland and Sweden to join the alliance.
Nato member Türkiye has so far blocked the applications of Finland and Sweden, citing what it considers to be the two countries’ soft approach to organisations Türkiye considers to be terrorist, such as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK.
Nato also released new defence spending figures showing that US allies in Europe as well as Canada had increased defence spending for an eighth consecutive year.
“By the end of the year, they will have invested well over US$350 billion extra since we agreed our defence investment pledge in 2014,” Stoltenberg said.
Nato countries slashed their military budgets in the 1990s following the end of the Cold War, but increased spending when Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014. In that year, Nato allies also pledged to reach a defence budget target of 2 per cent of their gross domestic product by 2024.
“Nine allies now reach – or exceed – the 2 per cent target. Nineteen allies have clear plans to reach it by 2024,” Stoltenberg said. “Two per cent is increasingly considered a floor, not a ceiling. We will also agree to invest more together in Nato.”