NATO is developing a new defence strategy that would allow for strikes on military bases, supply depots and facilities belonging to Russia’s defence industry deep in the country’s rear areas.
The Wall Street Journal reports.
As the newspaper notes, the experience of the war in Ukraine and conflicts in the Middle East is forcing the Alliance’s military commanders to rethink their approach to countering potential Russian aggression. Whereas NATO’s eastern flank defence previously relied heavily on barriers and checkpoints, strategists now believe that is not enough to thwart a possible invasion.
Under the new concept, deterring Russia should involve not only destroying troops crossing the border, but also striking the targets that enable their operations.
“This involves not only destroying troops that could pour across the border, but also strikes on military bases, supply depots and industrial facilities in the rear, on Russia’s own territory,” the article says.
This approach was set out by the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Alexus Grynkewich, in his “theory of victory”. It envisages allies first stopping the initial wave of attack and then depriving the adversary of the ability to continue the offensive.
“We will dismantle the system of warfare being employed against us by striking both the attacking forces and everything that supports, sustains or controls those forces,” Grynkewich said.
At the same time, according to the WSJ, the published plan does not envisage the use of nuclear weapons.
Polish Major General Ireneusz Nowak stressed that one of the lessons of Ukraine’s resistance is the need to respond to aggression with force. In his words, defence also involves carrying out retaliatory strikes.
“In the event of an armed clash with Russia, we would certainly want to strike the defence-industrial complex. We must treat high-precision strikes deep in the rear as a tool of deterrence,” Nowak said.
He added that for credible deterrence of Russia, NATO needs to have the appropriate long-range capabilities.
The article also compares the new concept with Ukraine’s tactics of attacking Russian oil refineries, production sites for drone components, data centres and fuel depots using long-range drones and missiles.
Ukraine’s ambassador to NATO, Alona Hetmanchuk, stressed at a профиль conference the importance of influencing the source of the threat. She compared air defence to a painkiller that eases symptoms but does not remove the cause of the pain.
To implement the new strategy, the United States is replenishing and modernising its stocks of Tomahawk cruise missiles and ATACMS ballistic missiles. European countries, for their part, are seeking to increase stocks of Storm Shadow, SCALP and Taurus, and are also developing cheaper long-range strike systems.
Fabian Hoffmann, a senior research fellow at the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies, said that at least 48 projects to create low-cost cruise missiles have been announced in Europe.
In his view, the experience of modern wars demonstrates the importance of having substantial arsenals of long-range weapons.