NATO General Assesses Current Capabilities of the Russian Army
25 November 2024 16:49
The chairman of NATO’s military committee, Rob Bauer, believes that although Russia’s ground forces are now larger than during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, their quality has declined since then. According to Reuters, the Dutch admiral said this on Monday in Brussels, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
“The quality of these forces has declined and at the moment the Russians are not as threatening as they were in February 2022, so we have some time to prepare,” said Rob Bauer, chairman of NATO’s Military Committee, adding that this means increasing investment in the defense industry.
Western economies should prepare for wartime scenarios
The NATO military official urged Western businesses to be prepared for a wartime scenario and adjust their production and distribution lines accordingly to be less vulnerable to blackmail from countries such as Russia and China.
“If we can ensure that all essential services and goods are available no matter what, then that is a key part of our deterrence,” said Dutch Admiral Rob Bauer, speaking at an event at the European Policy Center.
He also believes that deterrence goes far beyond military capabilities alone, as all available tools can and will be used in war. With this in mind, he mentioned the growing number of sabotage attacks in Europe, as well as what happened to Europe’s energy supply.
“We thought we had a deal with Gazprom, but in fact we had a deal with Putin. The same goes for infrastructure and goods belonging to China,” Bauer emphasized.
The NATO official noted the West’s dependence on supplies from China, where 60% of all rare earth materials are produced and 90% are processed. He also drew attention to the fact that chemical ingredients for sedatives, antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs and low blood pressure medications also come from China.
“We are naive if we think the Communist Party will never use this power. Business leaders in Europe and America need to realize that the commercial decisions they make have strategic implications for their nation’s security,” Bauer emphasized.
According to Rob Bauer, Chairman of NATO’s Military Committee, Western businesses should be prepared for a wartime scenario and adjust their production and distribution lines accordingly, because “the military may win battles, but wars are won by the economy.”
