NATO will need 35-50 extra brigades under new defense plans

NATO will need between 35 and 50 extra brigades to fully realize its new plans to defend against an attack from Russia, a military source told Reuters.

The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, declined to provide any more detail about the plans, which are secret. A brigade consists of between 3,000 and 7,000 troops, so generating 35 to 50 more such units would present a significant challenge.

In another sign of the scale of NATO's challenge as it revamps its posture to take the threat of a Russian attack more seriously following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, a security source said Germany alone would have to quadruple its air defense capacities.

At a summit in Vilnius last year, NATO leaders agreed on the alliance's first major defense plans in more than three decades, and officials have been working on translating the documents into concrete military demands since then.

NATO leaders are expected to get an update on the plans in Washington this week, at a summit to mark the 75th anniversary of the transatlantic security alliance.

Asked for comment, a NATO official said the alliance's military planners had identified "detailed requirements for troops and weapons needed to defend the alliance".

"Air and missile defenses, long-range weapons, logistics as well as large land maneuver formations are among our top priorities," the official added.


Reuters