NorfolkVirginia – Top NATO Military leaders worry Russia The Transatlantic Alliance helped sustain it for 75 years “in the process of colliding with the international system of rules,” they said that despite the ongoing, arduous war with Ukraine, the majority of Moscow’s military may remain intact.
key NATO Officials recently told The Washington Times in an exclusive interview that the coalition is focusing on the complex multi-domain threat posed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his armed forces, and is working to create greater interoperability among its member states’ armed forces.
They stressed NATOthrough it Joint Force Command ((JFC) Here Norfolkif the Russian threat could go directly into North America, just a few hours south of Washington, in a constant state of planning and preparation.
Military leaders from Britain, Finland and France Tell the Times NATO Not a one-way street, the United States provides Europe with a lot of military aid and security guarantees without any reward. They say that in direct attacks on the United States, the alliance is also ready and willing to help the United States, including potential long-range missile attacks Russia Moscow continues to use influence operations, cyberattacks and other irregular war instances.
“We are also responsible for defending North America’s progress. That’s it NATO It is a mechanism for the United States to defend forwards. ” Vice Adm said. James Morley Deputy Commander of the Royal Navy NATO JFC Norfolk.
Norfolk Headquarters is one of three such commands, each responsible for the geographical area under 32-nation NATO umbrella. In the Netherlands and Italy, others oversee potential threats facing Europe.
this Norfolk The website, founded in 2018, is led by ADM. Morley and US Vice President Doug Perry Norfolk The website focuses on the threats faced by the Atlantic Theater’s wide range of North American and elsewhere.
“This is a North American threat,” ADM. Morley In an interview with his office, he said JFC Norfolk reason. “and [President Trump] Very vibrant to the appearance of this threat. and programs like the Golden Dome and all the work ongoing [U.S. Northern Command] Reorganization. Because the threat vector is observed from North America Russia,north. In other words, this is not a threat from the East. The missile’s direct road from Russia Go to North America and cross the Arctic and enter North America. ”
Looking to the future
U.S. military aid and security dynamics pass NATOFor more than a decade, the core of the U.S. foreign policy debate. Mr. Trump made it the heart of his national security philosophy and insisted that European countries spend more on their own defenses than relying on the U.S. military as a backup in the event of conflict.
Mr. Trump’s approach – Some people criticize some people for NATO – Dividends have been paid. Each NATO The state has committed to spending at least 5% of its GDP on national defense by 2035. NATO Countries that stop importing Russian oil, put pressure on economic pressure Russia.
The concept of increased military spending has never been more important due to the recent Russian drone invasion NATO Poland’s airspace leads alliance to shoot down Russian air assets for the first time NATO territory.
Russia’s Ukrainian invasion in 2022 has been defined NATO More powerful and capable. Finland Sweden joined the alliance immediately after the invasion, NATO Rank and deepen the league’s footprint Russia’s The doorway along the 830 miles of Russian Five Borders.
but Russia– The Ukraine War has carried out large-scale drone attacks, using artificial intelligence, electronic warfare and other 21st century capabilities and tactics, which has also accelerated the internal driving force NATO Prepare for future wars.
“We’ve been in a very stable world…and then we see a world that is really derailed,” said French principal Pierre Vandier. NATO Union command conversion, a separate NATO The Norfolk campus outpost looks at technology and prepares for tomorrow’s battle.
“We see conflict, wars happening again in Europe, and we see this war mixing with new technologies,” Van Dier told The Times in an exclusive interview Weekly podcast Norfolk. “So, this is the moment when we need to invent something.”
Russian troops face staggering losses in Ukraine. As many analysts expected in the early days of the war, its reputation as one of the most powerful combat powers in the world has been somewhat diminished.
But ADM. Morley Emphasize this Russia’s Air and sea functions are still very strong. RussiaHe said there is still a capacity to conduct out-of-regional submarine operations, long-range flights and other operations that may threaten North America, which may be through the Arctic.
“Sadly, because of course Russia They seem to be in conflict with the international rules-based system that we have enjoyed for decades. ” ADM. Morley explain. “That’s, I think it’s a very shameful one.”
understand NATO Interoperability
Officials say preparing for the next iteration of the Russian threat requires in-depth cooperation and coordination between all armies32 NATO nation. For this, nearly 400 NATO The staff is stationed JFC Norfolk27 representatives in the 32 countries of the alliance.
“Our main task is to coordinate the influence of all forces in all the allies,” Brig said. General Mikael Salo FinlandAssistant Director of Chief of Staff J7 JFC Norfolk.
The alliance regularly conducts transnational military exercises at speed and scale, unlike what has been seen in history before. United States, United Kingdom, FranceGermany, FinlandCanada and dozens of others NATO Members drill together on the domain with the goal of creating a force that can actually be interchanged increasingly on land, in the air, at sea, and in space, and even in some way in the cyber realm.
This military term for cooperation – interoperability – has become a buzzword for leapfrogging NATO National security community. But from the most basic point of view, it means NATO It aims to ensure that the military of each of its member states is fully capable of working with others in the event of a conflict.
“How do you make the Czechs compatible with the Croatians and the United States?” said the Vandier crew. “It means more than just the things themselves – the capabilities and ammunition of weapons – the strategies need to be the same. Everyone needs to understand the plan. Then you can use strategic interoperability, which means that even if you are achieving the goals, your preparation and preparation and the defendant must be synchronized.”
For example, this month NATO Maritime assets are joint exercises in the Barents Sea above the Arctic Circle. Officials say warships from coalition countries are not just sailing together.
“This means they are communicating on encrypted radio systems on a tactical level,” ADM. Morley explain. “They are sharing a common picture. Orders given by the strike team are received in these vessels, and the vessels are doing what the carrier wants them to do, not just their own.”
“There is no difference between connecting the German frigate to this strike group, not the Americans,” he said. “And our real goal is to completely swap.”
