NATO Commander: Alliance may lose 'dominance' in certain fields because of Russia
NATO may lose "dominance" in some fields in five years, if it cannot modernize its armed forces and adapt to the threat from Russia, said General Curtis Scaparotti, the chief commander of the forces of the North Atlantic alliance in Europe, during the meeting of the NATO Military Committee.
Scaparotti stated, "I think that as an alliance we dominate. There are challenging fields. I reckon that cyberspace is one of them. They [Russians – ed.] are very competent in this."
Addressing the NATO Military Committee, he pointed out that "the revival of Russia as a strategic competitor, the growing anxiety and instability in Africa and the Middle East, as well as terrorism are restructuring our strategic environment."
Relationships between Moscow and Western countries have become strained after Russia annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea and the outbreak of an armed conflict in eastern Ukraine. Kyiv and the West accuse Russia of armed support for the separatists. According to the UN, over 10,300 people have died during the conflict.