NATO Declares Alliance Not Resilient Enough for Prolonged War

NATO's military forces are not yet resilient enough for a prolonged conflict, warned the alliance's Chief Naval Commander, highlighting concerns that Europe is still unprepared for a lengthy confrontation with Russia. This was stated by Vice Admiral Mike Athlin, who leads NATO’s Allied Maritime Command, in an interview with Bloomberg.

Admiral Athlin pointed out that Western armed forces must prepare for a more complex battlefield that includes both cyber and military threats. He indicated that while the North Atlantic Alliance has an advantage over Russia, it may not be capable of sustaining long-term combat operations.

“Do we have the resilience that we would like to have? I think the comments over the past 10 months have shown that no, we do not,” he said.

“But countries are well aware of this and are ready to invest in those capabilities to improve our resilience,” he added. However, according to Athlin, NATO's investments will only address the scope of challenges “over time.”

“I’m realistic. Money is an issue, and all our allies have many competing priorities regarding taxpayer spending,” he commented. “I won’t pretend that every cent should be spent on defense for every available opportunity. It's about priorities.”

Despite his reservations regarding current preparedness for a protracted conflict, Athlin believes that NATO members are undertaking necessary commitments. “Do I think everything is going in the right direction? Certainly. Yes, because it is,” he noted.