NATO puts its European forces on high alert as Russia amasses troops on Ukrainian borders
NATO has increased the combat readiness of its Response Force in Europe as Russia continues amassing troops near Ukrainian borders.
Die Welt reports, citing a senior NATO representative, that a decision to put 40,000-strong NATO Response Force on high alert was made by the North Atlantic Council because of the buildup of Russian forces near the border with Ukraine.
At the same time, the level of combat readiness of the special forces and logistics services has been increased, and the deployment time of the joint task force of 6.4 thousand soldiers, also known as the NATO Spearhead Force, has been reduced from 7 to 5 days.
At the moment, the NATO Spearhead Force is commanded by Turkey, and from 2023 the command will pass to Germany.
NATO is also considering sending additional troops to Romania and Bulgaria to counter Russia. According to Der Spiegel sources, this initiative was voiced by the Supreme Commander of NATO joint forces in Europe, General Tod Waters, during a closed video conference with alliance partners last week.
In addition, NATO plans to extend its Enhanced Forward Presence, with four multinational battalion-size battlegroups in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, on a rotational basis, Waters said.