Anthem of NATO Atlantis
Jens Stoltenberg calls on members of the alliance to spend more on defense.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg presented to colleagues his third annual report on the activities of the unit last year since taking the command chair. In this document, published by 13 in March and containing almost 130 pages, the secretary general informed the members of the alliance in some detail about the activities carried out in the most diverse areas of its operation. The head of NATO spoke about the implemented and planned directions of the military construction of the bloc, about ensuring the required level of defense capability of its member countries, maintaining the stability of the situation in the world, fighting terrorism and much more. Stoltenberg portrayed NATO as the most just military alliance on earth. It can be compared with a certain magical country, on whose territory about a billion people live perfectly safely, and which by its significance at the present stage of human existence could be compared only with the legendary Atlantis.
CASE OF "PEACEFULL" DEFENSE
In the preface to his report, the secretary general wrote that "never since the end of the cold war the Alliance has faced more serious security challenges than today." He noted that NATO "is the most successful alliance in storiesbecause it can change in a changing world. ” “In the first 40 years of its existence, the Alliance focused on collective defense.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, our focus shifted to crisis management beyond our borders - to intervene in order to stop large-scale bloodshed and maintain peace in the Western Balkans, fight terrorism in Afghanistan and counter piracy off the coast of the Horn of Africa. ” However, in 2014, NATO had to begin its restructuring in order to adapt to the events. These actions Stoltenberg explained "the illegal annexation of Crimea by Russia and destabilization in the east of Ukraine", as well as "the seizure of Mosul IG." All these events, according to the Secretary General, "marked, albeit in different ways, the beginning of a new era" in the existence of the bloc.
One of the main chapters of this document is entitled “Deterrence, Defense and Dialogue”. It opens with the assertion that NATO has a purely defensive character and firmly follows its international obligations. Its members strictly follow the rules for ensuring European and global security. NATO does not seek to enter into confrontation with anyone, but its OVC will protect all members of the union from any threats. The Alliance provides security guarantees to its member countries that come under new threats. According to the leadership of the bloc, such measures are most conducive to deterring aggression and allow its leaders to take flexible decisions.
Two years ago, the leaders of the NATO countries at the summit in Wales adopted the “Action Plan for Preparedness” (PDAP). Currently it is almost fully implemented. Over the past years, the number of NATO Response Forces (NRF) has tripled to 40 thousand troops. The main units of these forces can begin their actions a few days after the outbreak of confrontation with the enemy. As Stoltenberg noted, eight small headquarters are deployed in the east of the North Atlantic Alliance. They are designed to train troops and, if necessary, to organize the deployment of combat-ready military formations. In addition, NATO has deployed eight units of its forces in Bulgaria, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Estonia. They submit to the headquarters of the multinational corps Northeast in Szczecin and the headquarters of the multinational division South-East in Bucharest.
ATP provides a balance between the requirements for expanding the military presence of NATO forces in some regions and the possibility of increasing the combat potential of these forces in any theater of war. Activities carried out as part of this plan allow NATO to respond properly to potential threats emanating from any direction. He made it possible to establish the composition, strength and readiness of the NRC, including the configuration of the Joint Task Force of High Readiness, and also to place new accents in the training processes of the largest military units of the Joint Armed Forces, which, if necessary, can enhance the combat potential of any block member state.
In order to guarantee the security of its members in 2016, NATO patrolled fighter forces aviation OVS airspace of the Baltic countries. Airborne early warning and control aircraft (AWACS) carried out flights over the territories of the bloc states located in the eastern part of the Union’s common territory. Permanent naval mine action groups of NATO patrolled the Baltic and Black Seas. Navy patrol aircraft controlled the eastern borders of the block. In addition, ground forces were deployed to conduct exercises in NATO’s eastern territories. 83 of the 246 exercises organized in 2016 were aimed at ensuring security guarantees for the countries of the bloc.
In recent years, according to a NATO report, there has been an increase in the number of hybrid threats, in which conventional and non-traditional means of warfare can be used and open and secret operations of the most diverse nature can be carried out. NATO’s strategy to counter hybrid threats emphasizes the need for preparedness for potential conflicts of this kind. Uncertainty is an integral feature of such confrontations. A key component of this strategy is the intensification of NATO's cooperation with the European Union, which plays an important role in conducting civilian actions in countering hybrid attacks.
In connection with the emergence of new security challenges for NATO countries, the leaders of the bloc countries at the Warsaw summit in the middle of last year decided to organize a forward presence of military contingents on a rotational basis in the Baltic and Black Sea regions. They will include multinational combat groups deployed in Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Estonia under the leadership of Canada, Germany, the United States and Great Britain. Under the auspices of Romania, a multinational brigade will be deployed to train military personnel. This brigade should ensure the security of NATO countries in the Black Sea region.
Advanced basing will become an integral part of measures to curb aggression and ensure the defense capacity of the countries of the alliance. In peacetime, military contingents of NATO, deployed in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland, will undergo combat training in conjunction with the national armed forces of these countries, which will improve their interoperability and effectiveness of hostilities. Under conditions of aggression, these forces will operate in accordance with the right to self-defense and in strict coordination with the national forces of the host country.
According to the Secretary General, in recent years, Russia's military activity has increased significantly. Moscow’s political and military leaders began to speak more harshly about NATO. All this leads to a decrease in the stability of the situation in Europe and reduces the predictability of the upcoming events. However, in accordance with the decisions taken at the Summit in Warsaw, the alliance remains open to discuss with the Kremlin issues of transparency and reducing the risk of conflict, including within the Russia-NATO Council.
Arms control is the most important way to strengthen security. At the 2016 Warsaw Summit, NATO countries reaffirmed their unconditional support for arms control processes and their determination to take all necessary measures to regulate the volume of conventional weapons in Europe. Stoltenberg announced that NATO countries continue to fully comply with their commitments. However, Russia's selective implementation of international agreements, including the Vienna Document, the Treaty on Open Skies, the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe and the Helsinki Final Act, is causing serious concern to the leadership of the bloc.
PEOPLE AND WEAPONS - THE BASIS OF MILITARY POWER OF THE ALLIANCE
In his report, Stoltenberg devoted a large place to the NATO military capacity building activities held last year. He announced that the main elements of ensuring the necessary level of combat capability of the block are the professionalism of servicemen and modern weapons systems.
The military theorists of the alliance believe that the main role in enhancing the professional training of servicemen of the armed forces and the national forces of the member countries of the union is played by exercises of various scales. Only in the course of the exercise, bloc leaders can, in practice, verify the correctness of the chosen directions of aircraft construction, strategic and tactical installations, forms and methods of conducting operations, the effectiveness of interaction between the armed forces units at various levels, as well as objectively assess the quality and reliability of armaments. The exercises are an important element of deterrence and not only help NATO to choose the direction of development of the means of warfare, but also allow us to objectively evaluate their effectiveness.
Over the past year, the NATO military leadership conducted 107 exercises. In addition, the EIA units took part in 139 national exercises. These exercises differed in their scale, duration, and forms of conduct. They were conducted both at the landfills using combat forces and weapon systems, involving thousands of military personnel and a large number of units of military equipment, and in classrooms using computer technology. As already noted, about a third of these exercises were aimed at testing the capabilities of the EMU in meeting the requirements for guaranteed security of the bloc countries.
The leaders of NATO understand that the armaments must be constantly improved and attach great importance to these processes. In 2016, concepts were developed for integrating air and missile defense systems into a coherent whole. NATO leaders believe that the new unified air defense and missile defense system will ensure the effective protection of the countries of the alliance against air and missile attacks.
In February 2016, eight NATO countries signed a memorandum of understanding governing the acquisition of high-precision guided air-to-ground munitions. Currently, the first stage of the procurement program is being completed. The second stage should begin this year. Deliveries of these munitions to the troops will be made in 2017 – 2019.
Currently, the NATO countries are armed with 16 aircrafts DRLOU E-3A. These airplanes play an important role in solving a wide range of tasks, starting with the long-range radar detection of air targets and ending with the collection of data on the situation in the sea water areas. At the summit in Warsaw, the leaders of the NATO countries decided that the program to modernize AWACS aircraft would be carried out in the future. These aircraft will be in service with the Armed Forces of the block until 2035.
In 2016, the alliance made significant progress in implementing the program for creating a ground surveillance system, which will be the first reconnaissance, surveillance and reconnaissance system in service with the OVS. The system will use unmanned aerial vehicles located at large distances from control points and able to function in all weather conditions and in any light conditions. They will be equipped with the latest radar, which will detect and track moving objects on land and sea theaters. The collected information will be transmitted to the appropriate command posts. The use of this system will allow continuous monitoring of large spaces. The ground observation system will significantly complement the AWACS aircraft, which today are monitoring the airspace of the NATO countries.
He also told the Secretary General that in 2016, the United States accounted for 68% of NATO’s total defense expenditures. Today, in connection with the demand of US President Donald Trump, who states that it is necessary to allocate defense expenditures among Western countries on an equal basis, the issue of bringing union members of their defense expenditures up to 2% of national GDP is on the agenda of the bloc leaders. At the moment, only the USA, Greece, Great Britain, Estonia and Poland are spending 2% of GDP on defense (America is spending 3,61% on defense). Other countries spend 1,5% and less. At the last place is Luxembourg, which spends only 0,4% on defense. Stoltenberg announced that, at present, many NATO countries have already developed national plans to bring their defense spending to the 2% by the 2024 year.
From the report of Stoltenberg it is quite obvious that NATO is building its military strategy and building up its military potential under the pretext of external military threats, and above all from Russia. In simple terms, the alliance is openly preparing for war.
But the gun, even just hanging on the wall, sometime must necessarily shoot. In this sense, it is quite appropriate to recall the well-known treatise of the founder of German classical philosophy, Emanuel Kant, “Towards an Eternal Peace”, which is still being actively discussed by supporters of various political trends in the structure of the world. More than 200 years ago, the philosopher argued that humanity has only two alternatives: either end the war, or find "perpetual peace" at the world cemetery of humanity after a war of extermination. These alternatives have become understandable to most modern sensible politicians after the appearance of nuclear weapons. However, the facts show that aggressive overseas politicians and their European colleagues from NATO have not yet realized the ideas of Kant. With the stubbornness of the doomed, they are leading the world to a new global clash, hoping for an unconditional victory. But in the third world war, nuclear weapons will inevitably be used, and therefore there will be no winners in it.
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