{"id":1402586,"date":"2022-03-27T08:00:35","date_gmt":"2022-03-27T12:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1402586"},"modified":"2022-03-27T08:01:14","modified_gmt":"2022-03-27T12:01:14","slug":"how-russia-is-reshaping-the-nato-alliance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-russia-is-reshaping-the-nato-alliance\/","title":{"rendered":"How Russia Is Reshaping the NATO Alliance"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhow-russia-is-reshaping-the-nato-alliance%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1402586&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>What Obama tried to accomplish with appeals and Trump with threats is now happening without a great deal of either from President Joe Biden: amid Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine, NATO member nations are significantly ramping up their defense spending levels.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Days after the Feb. 24 invasion, Germany announced plans to increase its defense funding, with Chancellor Olaf Scholz committing 100 billion Euros in 2022 to beef up its military and promising to invest more than 2% of gross domestic product \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/how-much-does-each-nato-nation-spend-on-defense\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the NATO baseline<\/a> \u2013 into defense moving forward. At least seven<a href=\"https:\/\/breakingdefense.com\/2022\/03\/seven-european-nations-have-increased-defense-budgets-in-one-month-who-will-be-next\/\"> other European nations have followed suit<\/a> with defense spending increases: Belgium, Romania, Poland, Italy, Norway, Denmark and \u2013 the only non-NATO member on the list \u2013 Sweden.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption>An M1 Abrams main battle tank is the first of nearly 200 vehicles and equipment items from 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division to arrive in Europe aboard the \u201cLiberty Passion\u201d, a commercial cargo vessel, which docked in Alexandroupoli, Greece, March 21, 2022. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Austin Steinborn, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/nato-response-force-the-answer-to-putins-aggression\/\">NATO Response Force: The Answer to Russia\u2019s Aggression?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Russia\u2019s aggression, underscored by a March 13 missile strike in Western Ukraine, just 15 miles from the Polish border, constitutes an existential threat that is promoting historic united action among allies in Europe, at least for the moment. <\/p>\n<p>As Biden travels to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/2022\/03\/22\/biden-europe-nato-disagreements\/\">Belgium and Poland this week<\/a> to meet with NATO leaders and address response efforts, many expect him to push for long-term defense commitments from the alliance that will outlast the current crisis. <\/p>\n<p>If leaders can coordinate new investments and move swiftly to admit new partners to the alliance, NATO will emerge more formidable and influential, explains Jim Townsend, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security\u2019s Transatlantic Security Program.<\/p>\n<p>Townsend played a role in making NATO what it is today: in the 1990s, he served as principal director of European and NATO Policy, director of NATO Policy and director of the Defense Plans Division at the U.S. Mission to NATO in Brussels. He\u2019d later work for eight years at the Pentagon as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for European and NATO policy. Among Townsend\u2019s accomplishments in support of NATO expansion and defense planning was assisting in the creation of the NATO Response Force, which began as an initiative in 2002 and was expanded with the addition of the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force in 2014.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/james-j-townsend-jr-deputy-assistant-defense-secretary-1b1ba9-1600.jpg\" alt=\"russia nato\" \/><figcaption>Jim Townsend addresses the crowd at a 2014 event (DOD photo by Claudette Roulo\/Released)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/the-army-just-activated-its-massive-gear-stockpile-in-europe-heres-what-that-means\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Army just activated its massive gear stockpile in Europe<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The response force was activated for the first time for a real-world mission this month in response to the assault on Ukraine. Thousands of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/the-army-just-activated-its-massive-gear-stockpile-in-europe-heres-what-that-means\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">U.S. troops<\/a> joined contingents from around NATO, arriving in Germany and other locations in Western Europe to await further orders. While NATO has not publicized many details about the NRF\u2019s activities, it released a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nato.int\/cps\/en\/natohq\/news_192695.htm?selectedLocale=en\">March 2 statement <\/a>saying 500 French troops had arrived in Romania to shore up the alliance\u2019s posture in the east.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>\u201cI was a little surprised,\u201d Townsend says of the force\u2019s deployment, \u201cbecause it\u2019s got to be done through a unanimous vote \u2026 I never thought I\u2019d see it. Because I didn\u2019t think we\u2019d be fighting in Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Up to 40,000 ground, sea, air and special operations troops can populate the response force, which is led this year by France, according to prior arrangement. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said that the alliance will defend \u201cevery inch\u201d of member nation territory, although the only threat to date has been proximate.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Despite a 2019 amendment to the Ukrainian constitution committing it to seek membership in NATO and the European Union, Ukraine remains outside the alliance. That reality leaves NATO unbound by a mutual defense pact and more free to choose how to provide aid and support, but also may have emboldened Russian President Vladimir Putin in his decision to launch an invasion that the Russian government has continuously characterized as a <em>special military operation<\/em>. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Now, NATO should move quickly to add more members to the alliance, Townsend said, particularly those on Putin\u2019s doorstep.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>\u201cI think we\u2019ve always wanted Sweden and Finland to be in NATO. They\u2019re now closer than they\u2019ve ever been, and I would hope that they join soon,\u201d Townsend told Sandboxx News, adding that the nations\u2019 concerns over Russian displeasure were now far less of a barrier than they\u2019ve been in the past. \u201cAnd so I think the window is open now, and they need to jump.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>While Norway and Denmark are founding NATO members, Sweden and Finland are merely \u201cenhanced opportunity partners\u201d with populations historically leery of upsetting a geopolitical balance by joining the alliance. But <a href=\"https:\/\/www.heritage.org\/europe\/commentary\/putin-pushing-finland-and-sweden-closer-nato-membership\">recent polling<\/a>, as reported by the Heritage Foundation, shows a newfound majority of citizens in both countries are supportive of membership. Finland shares an 830-mile border with Russia, and while Sweden is not a direct neighbor, Stockholm is across the Baltic Sea from St. Petersburg. A move to join NATO would be a great vote of confidence in the power of the alliance and a statement of defiance in the face of threats from Putin.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1125\" height=\"750\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/7105188-1125x750-1.jpg\" alt=\"russia nato\" class=\"wp-image-48657\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/7105188-1125x750-1.jpg 1125w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/7105188-300x200-1.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/7105188-768x512-1.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/7105188-1536x1024-1.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/7105188-scaled-1.jpg 2048w\" \/><figcaption>Joint department heads from NATO Force Integration Unit-Bulgaria gaze over the landscape at the Novo Selo<\/p>\n<p>Training Area, Bulgaria, March 14, 2022. Bulgaria\u2019s military modernization efforts through military-to-military engagements and multinational training exercises help strengthen the bond between NATO allies. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Dominique\u2019 Crittenden, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/a-complete-guide-to-why-a-no-fly-zone-over-ukraine-wont-work\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">A complete guide to why a no-fly zone over Ukraine won\u2019t work<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Whether Ukraine will ever be admitted to NATO remains a complex question. Even apart from Russia\u2019s threats, Townsend noted, other member nations had raised concerns about the country\u2019s history of government corruption as a disqualifying factor. Others may be hesitant to welcome in a country as likely to trigger NATO\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/what-is-article-5-of-the-nato-charter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Article 5<\/a> as Ukraine, positioned as it is in Russia\u2019s crosshairs. But by alliance policy, these things cannot preclude the country from membership consideration, he added.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s got to go through the process, and then we\u2019ll see where it ends up,\u201d Townsend said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>As <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2022\/03\/22\/ukraine-weapons-military-aid-00019104\">NATO nations rush weapons and military aid to Ukraine<\/a> and ramp up spending on their own defense efforts, Townsend said he\u2019s watching to see what efforts emerge to sustain long-term military investments rather than just reactive measures.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>\u201cAmong the experts in the community, a lot of us are worried that [increased defense investments] will be maintained,\u201d he said. \u201cWalking it back after a year or two \u2013 it\u2019s not a good thing. We need to keep the spending at this level. And \u2026 among the European Union and NATO nations, we need to better coordinate how this money is spent.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Coordination, he said, will ensure diversity in defense investments and a united military deterrence effort, particularly for budget programming that requires assessing what threats and defense demands will manifest a year or two from now. If NATO can do this and succeed at rebuilding European military capability while remaining unified, Russia will have created a stronger and more determined adversary through its aggression.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>\u201cDuring the \u201990s and the early 2000s, when Russia was not seen as a threat, it was pretty amorphous, what NATO needed to defend itself from. But now it\u2019s very obvious; the wolf\u2019s at the door,\u201d Townsend said. \u201cThat\u2019s the kind of threat that focuses the mind.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2 id=\"h-read-more-from-sandboxx-news\">Read more from Sandboxx News<\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What Obama tried to accomplish with appeals and Trump with threats is now happening without a great deal of either from President Joe Biden: amid Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine, NATO<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":489,"featured_media":1896224,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1402586","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1402586","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/489"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1402586"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1402586\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1896224"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1402586"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1402586"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1402586"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}