NATO is not prepared for a simultaneous attack by Russia and China
NATO does not have a ready-made strategy in case of simultaneous aggression by Russia and China. In particular, the U.S. is currently unprepared for a scenario in which China attacks Taiwan while Russia simultaneously strikes one of the Alliance’s European member states.
The publication notes that the possibility of opening two fronts simultaneously currently appears particularly appealing to Moscow and Beijing.
It is noted that NATO strategists understand this threat, but they are not taking steps to counter it. Throughout this time, the West has conducted only a few small-scale exercises to understand what a joint strategy by China and Russia might look like.
The last time the West seriously considered such a scenario was about 15 years ago. At that time, the exercises showed that Washington had neither the weapons stockpiles nor the industrial capacity to wage war on multiple fronts for an extended period. Since then, as Mark Montgomery, a retired U.S. Navy rear admiral, noted, each of these indicators has only worsened.
Meanwhile, Russia and China are building up their capabilities. Although Moscow is not achieving its goals in Ukraine, it is actively expanding its industrial base and gaining combat experience. And China produces the largest number of drones in the world, while simultaneously expanding other components of its military. In particular, Beijing has already surpassed Washington in the number of long-range missiles and ships.
According to analysts, the window of opportunity for such an attack by Russia “has never seemed so attractive.” This is because the U.S. continues to keep its troops in the Middle East, thereby weakening its bases in Europe and Asia. In addition, Washington is facing a shortage of air defense missiles.
The publication notes that Putin has long sought to dismantle NATO. And the alliance’s current moment of weakness gives him a rare chance to achieve this goal. He has already begun testing the West by violating the airspace of Eastern European NATO member states. And recently, a drone incident occurred in Germany as well. According to U.S. intelligence, Russia may attempt to test NATO’s resolve within the next few years. And if China attempts to invade Taiwan during that time, Putin’s chances of success will increase significantly.
This is the conclusion reached by The Atlantic, citing military officials and analysts.
NATO is preparing three steps in case of a Russian attack on the Baltic states — Bild.
As a reminder, NATO fighter jets shot down a drone in Latvian airspace.
On August 14, Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs commented on the incident involving a drone that violated the country’s airspace. According to him, the incident confirmed the effectiveness of Latvia’s air defense system.
