European Centre for Counterterrorism and Intelligence Studies, Germany & Netherlands – ECCI
NATO Proposes Huge 50% Increase in Number of Troops: Report
NEWSWEEK ـ NATO will raise its target for how many troops its member states will need to provide for the alliance by up to 50 percent, according to a new report, ahead of crunch-time decisions on what members must do to prepare for a possible conflict with Russia.
The 32 allies’ current target of about 80 brigades would increase to between 120 and 130, an unnamed official has told Reuters.
The military bloc will ask Germany next week to contribute an additional seven brigades—amounting to roughly 40,000 troops—to bolster the alliance’s collective defense capabilities, Reuters reported, citing three sources familiar with the discussions. Newsweek has reached out to the German government and NATO for comment via email.
Why It Matters
NATO officials have been ringing alarm bells increasingly louder over how much of a threat Russia will pose to the alliance in the next few years, particularly after inking a possible ceasefire deal in Ukraine that would free up hundreds of thousands of soldiers bogged down along the frontlines.
Assessments vary, but one judgment from Denmark’s Defense Intelligence Service, published in February, said it believed Russia would be able to wage a “large-scale war” against NATO in the next five years if the U.S. declines to be involved. Some observers insist Moscow could be prepared to launch more limited assaults on NATO soil as little as six months after the end of the war in Ukraine.
What To Know
NATO will set a new goal of between 120 and 130 brigades to be put forward by member countries, up from approximately 80 brigades, an unnamed senior military official told Reuters. A separate anonymous government source said the target will be 130 brigades.
The size of brigades can vary, but they are typically made up of about 5,000 soldiers.
Defense ministers from across the alliance are scheduled to meet in Brussels on June 5. NATO’s major summit—the first since U.S. President Donald Trump, an outspoken reformist of the alliance, returned to office—will be held in The Hague, Netherlands, in late June.
NATO would need up to 50 additional brigades to be able to follow through on plans to defend against Russian attack, Reuters reported in July 2024, citing an anonymous military source.
The head of the British Army, General Sir Roly Walker, said on Wednesday the “threat is real” to NATO, and a “sense of urgency” is needed to “respond to the threats we face.”
A lull in investment across Europe after the end of the Cold War saw stockpiles and the size of many militaries shrink. The British Army is at its smallest size in several hundred years.
There are doubts about how quickly many of NATO’s members would be able to recruit more soldiers, and to produce more military equipment that would be needed in a future conflict. Military personnel and analysts say countries like the U.K. have been focused on fighting counterinsurgency wars, particularly post-9/11, rather than what a conflict with Russia would look like.
NATO’s European members pledged to raise defense spending to different degrees after fierce criticism from the Trump administration. The U.S. has historically provided much of Europe’s most expensive capabilities, including logistics and reconnaissance.
What People Are Saying
A German defense ministry spokesperson told Reuters: “NATO’s force planning and capability targets are classified due to security reasons.”
European Centre for Counterterrorism and Intelligence Studies, Germany & Netherlands – ECCI
