NATO Creates Spearhead Force to Deter Russia

By John-Thor Dahlburg

The Associated Press

Published: September 10, 2014 (Issue # 1828)

Three NATO ships taking part in the multinational Sea Breeze 2014 military exercise, which started on Monday in the Black Sea. Photo: NATO

NEWPORT, Wales NATOs creation of a rapid-reaction spearhead force to protect Eastern Europe from Russian bullying reflects a cool-eyed calculation that Vladimir Putin and his generals wont risk head-to-head confrontation with the U.S. and its nuclear-capable Western European allies.

The new force will be small, with just a few thousand troops, but its a powerful message from major powers that theyre willing to follow through on NATOs eastward expansion with their own metal and blood.

Why would this be enough? said Gen. Sir Adrian Bradshaw, NATOs deputy supreme European commander. Well, precisely because in becoming embroiled in a conflict with capable combat forces from across the alliance, a potential aggressor recognizes that they are taking on the whole of NATO and all that implies.

I dont think that anyone believes that Russia wants a strategic conflict with NATO, the British army general said. Anybody would be insane to wish that.

The force was ordered into life on Sept. 5 by President Barack Obama and other NATO leaders at a summit meeting in Wales to deter Putin and make NATOs most vulnerable members, such as Poland, Romania and the Baltic republics, feel safer from Russias million-strong armed forces in light of Moscows military involvement in Ukraine.

Ukraine is not a NATO member and not directly under its defense umbrella, but three other former Soviet republics have joined the alliance since the end of the Cold War, as well as the former Soviet satellite states of Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia (formerly one country), Romania and Bulgaria.

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NATO Creates Spearhead Force to Deter Russia