NATO does not have the necessary resilience to wage a prolonged war, admitted Mike Utley, head of NATO’s Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM).
In a rare public admission, a senior NATO official acknowledges that the Alliance currently lacks the endurance it would need to fight a prolonged conflict, at a time when Europe is speaking ever more openly about the prospect of confrontation with Russia.
Resilience deficit within the Alliance
NATO does not have the necessary resilience to conduct a long-term war, said Mike Utley, head of NATO’s Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM).
“Do we have the resilience that we would like to have? I think the comments over the last 10 months have shown that no, we do not,” Utley said in an interview with Bloomberg.
According to him, NATO member states “have largely recognized this reality” and are ready “to invest in these capabilities in order to strengthen our resilience.”
Concern in Europe over Russia
According to Bloomberg, European officials are sounding the alarm over the need to prepare for a potential confrontation with Russia. Richard Knighton, chief of the British Defence Staff, described the growing strength of the Russian armed forces as a development that should cause serious concern.
Not “every euro” for defense
Despite the growing threat, Mike Utley stressed that NATO governments cannot spend “every last euro” on defense, as there are other pressing priorities competing with defense budgets, Bloomberg reported.
Shift toward higher defense spending
At the summit held in The Hague in June, NATO leaders agreed, following a US proposal, to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP. By 2035, NATO allies will be required to allocate at least 3.5% of GDP in line with the Alliance’s defense spending guidelines, and up to 1.5% of GDP for the protection of critical infrastructure and networks, ensuring civil preparedness and resilience, boosting innovation, and supporting the defense industrial base.
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