NATO to Confirm New Defense Initiatives at Vilnius Summit

NATO leaders will confirm new defense initiatives for the alliance at the summit scheduled for July 11-12 in Vilnius. This was stated by NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana in an interview with Digi24.

“The leaders will endorse a new generation of NATO defense plans, representing the most significant changes in the last 40 years,” he told TASS.

“A new force structure, higher readiness forces, new commands, and new capabilities in defense industry, as well as a new philosophy of defense and deterrence,” the NATO official added.

Previously, NATO’s Military Committee Chairman Rob Bauer indicated that it would take years for NATO military commanders to prepare their forces for the new defense and deterrence plans. “It will take time. Immediate change will not be possible. We will need many years to complete the task. Each NATO country needs to do its part,” EFE news agency quoted him as saying.

At the same time, Bauer assured that the new plans would help the alliance respond more effectively to various threats even before their completion.

According to Bauer, the plans are expected to be approved by participants in NATO’s July summit in Vilnius. The new initiatives are anticipated to provide additional ground forces, aircraft, and ships to NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, Christopher Cavoli.