LONDON -- NATO has been urged to rethink its maritime strategy to address the re-emerging contest with Russia for supremacy in the North Atlantic, a paper by one of Europes top military think tanks says. If NATO does not have effective control of the North Atlantic, or at least the ability to deny Russia naval access to this maritime domain, Russia could block or disrupt U.S. reinforcement to Europe," the Royal United Services Institute said in the paper to be published in London on Monday. Titled, "NATO and the North Atlantic: Revitalising Collective Defence," the paper draws on views from leading experts, including Adm. James Stavridis, the Supreme Allied Commander between 2009 and 2013. Until now most of NATOs strategic response to Moscows aggression has been in the air and land sectors, but now senior ex-military officers writing in the survey are saying the alliance has to respond on the maritime front as well.

NATO must put the North Atlantic Ocean back on its agenda," retiredU.S.Gen. Philip M Breedlove, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe until last year, wrote in the survey's foreword.

Britain said mid-2016 it was buying nine of the jets and Norway later announced it too would become an operator of the aircraft with an order for five aircraft.

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Report flags NATO's naval shortfalls vis-a-vis Russia - DefenseNews.com