The war in Ukraine is about to enter its third year (Photo: Getty).
The war situation in Ukraine is really making NATO "restless" and having a headache finding a solution.
At a two-day meeting in Brussels, Belgium (January 17-18), top NATO officials detailed plans for the largest military exercise in Europe since the Cold War, called "Steadfast Defender," later this year. The exercise is intended to demonstrate NATO's new strength and commitment to defend all allied nations from attack.
As the fighting bogs down, and with the US and EU reducing support for Ukraine and the country’s internal political conflicts, the chairman of NATO’s Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer, said Kiev was effectively locked in a fight for survival. “So Western militaries and political leaders have to radically change the way they help this country,” he said, calling for a “whole-of-society approach” to the challenge that goes beyond military planning.
"We need public and private actors to change their mindset from an era where everything can be planned, foreseen, controlled and focused on efficiency to an era where anything can happen at any time. An era where we need to be ready for the unexpected," he said in his opening remarks at the meeting.
“To be fully effective, in the future, we need a transformation of NATO's way of war,” he stressed.
The admiral said allies need to “focus on effectiveness” and boost defense readiness with more exercises, industry partnerships and militaries on high alert.
On January 16, British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps announced that the government would send 20,000 troops to participate in NATO military exercises. The UK will also send advanced fighter jets and surveillance aircraft, along with warships and submarines.
With ammunition stocks dwindling after sending military equipment to Ukraine, the Norwegian government said on January 17 that it was allocating 2 billion kroner ($192 million) to boost the production capacity of its defense industry, saying large quantities of ammunition were needed. Norwegian Defense Minister Bjorn Arild Gram said that “building up the defense industry’s capacity is important, not only for Ukraine but also for our own security.”
Meanwhile, the country's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said half of the money would go to Nammo, a Norway-based defense and aerospace group that produces ammunition, rocket engines and space applications, to boost artillery shell production.
In Brussels, Admiral Bauer said NATO would continue to support Ukraine long-term. "Today is day 693 of what everyone initially thought would be a war of just a few days. Ukraine will receive our support in the coming days because the outcome of this war will decide the fate of the world," he said.
According to him, it is necessary to standardize 155mm heavy ammunition to make it easier for countries to cooperate on artillery stocks and provide Ukraine with materials that can be used in various weapons systems.
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