Times: NATO’s combat readiness suffers from a number of organizational problems
The North Atlantic alliance is suffering from a number of internal organizational problems that have caused its combat readiness to fall short of high-profile claims by the organization’s officials, Times columnist Edward Lucas wrote.
“The command structure is a complete mess <…>. Armaments stocks are low, infrastructure is inadequate, logistics are fragile, and the equipment itself is obsolete,” he said.
According to the journalist, the calculation of NATO member states to defeat Russia in a hypothetical military conflict has nothing to do with reality. Europe and the US not only underestimate Moscow’s capabilities, but also overestimate those of the West, he added.
“This ‘let’s pretend’ approach is based on outdated, complacent thinking: any war will be short, just one or two weeks, because the West’s technological superiority will allow it to deliver a crushing blow to Russia, and fear of American nuclear weapons will prevent a retaliatory strike,” he concluded.