NATO to boost its rapid reaction force to 300,000 troops
NATO will nearly double the strength of its rapid response force to 300,000. This is part of its response against “eras of strategic competition,” according to the secretary general of the military alliance. said Monday.
The NATO reaction force currently numbers around 40,000 soldiers that can deploy quickly when needed. Foreign Minister Anita Anand said in late March that Canada had up to 3,400 troops ready to serve with the NATO Response Force, made up of a mix of army, air force and naval personnel.
Along with other measures such as the deployment of forces in defense of specific allies, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg saidThe move is part the “biggest overhaul to collective defence and deterrence ever since the Cold War.”
Stoltenberg made these remarks at a press conference in Madrid ahead of a NATO summit this week. The NATO summit is expected to be held in Madrid later in the week.
Stoltenberg saidHe expects allies of Russia to declare that they consider Russia “the most significant and direct danger to our security.”
NATO’s new strategic plan will address for the first-time the security threats posed by China and Stoltenberg. said. Madrid: Allies will discuss how to respond the China and Russia growing influence in their “southern neighborhood,” he said.
Stoltenberg saidAllies will agree to provide additional military support to Ukraine at their meeting in Spain. NATO members are expected to adopt a “strengthened complete assistance package” that includes secure communication systems and anti-drone technology.
Stoltenberg is a long-term investment. saidAllies are determined to assist Ukraine in its transition from Soviet-era arms to modern NATO equipment. Monday was a day of celebration for Ukraine by the seven largest economic powers in the world.
Impasse over Sweden, Finland bids
A central theme of the NATO summit will be the possibility that Finland and Sweden could join the alliance after Russia’s invasion in Ukraine.
NATO member Turkey has sofar blocked the applications, citing what they consider to be the two countries’ soft approach to terrorist organizations Turkey considers terrorist such as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (or PKK).
Turkey is demanding that Finland and Sweden grant extradition requests for people wanted by Turkish authorities. Ankara claims that the countries harbour PKK members and people it believes are connected to a failed 2016 coup.
The Current15:34Why Turkey objected to Sweden and Finland joining NATO
Turkey is objecting to Sweden and Finland’s bid to join NATO. We talk to Steven Erlanger, the chief diplomatic correspondent in Europe for the New York Times; and Aslı Aydıntaşbaş, a senior fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.
Turkey also demands assurances that arms restrictions imposed on Turkey by the two countries in relation to its 2019 military incursion into northern Syria are lifted.
Stoltenberg saidRecep Tayyip Turkey’s President, Sauli Niinisto, the Finnish President and Magdalena Andersson, the Swedish Prime Minister, have all agreed to meet at the summit’s sidelines.
Stoltenberg: “We have worked hard ever since Finland and Sweden applied to join the alliance to ensure that they can be joined as soon as possible.” said. “I won’t promise anything, but I can tell you that we are actively working to ensure progress, because the application by Finland and Sweden for NATO membership, they are historical.”
Source: CBC News