Newsroom

10 Feb. 2016

NATO boosts its defence and deterrence posture

NATO Defence Ministers took steps to strengthen the Alliance defence and deterrence posture on Wednesday (10 February 2016). “NATO Defence Ministers agreed on an enhanced forward presence in the eastern part of our Alliance,” Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said. The enhanced forward presence will be “multinational, to make clear that an attack against one Ally is an attack against all Allies, and that the Alliance as a whole will respond,” he stressed. “It will be rotational and supported by a programme of exercises; and it will be complemented by the necessary logistics and infrastructure to support pre-positioning and facilitate rapid reinforcement. Our military planners will provide the advice on the size and composition of our enhanced presence this spring,” Mr. Stoltenberg added. The Secretary General welcomed the announcement made by many Allies on how they would contribute and pointed out that further decisions will be taken at the Warsaw Summit in July.

The Secretary General

NATO Review

- Low oil prices 04 Feb. 2016 The fall in the price of oil may be good for the consumer – but is it bad for security?
- The low oil price environment: Implications for NATO 04 Feb. 2016 The decline of the global oil price may affect the stability of oil-producing countries in NATO’s neighbourhood. If so, NATO may end up with a perfect storm right on its doorstep.
- Odessa: Ukraine’s secret weapon? 18 Jan. 2016 Odessa has been attacked. Many times. But it has found a way to make the attacks bring people together. NATO Review travelled to the southern Ukrainian region to find out the secret of its success.
- Some key moments of this year 18 Dec. 2015 NATO Review asked the cartoonist Rytis Daukantas to illustrate some of the key moments of this year.
- Don’t forget the Black Sea 20 Nov. 2015 NATO Review goes on patrol with Ukraine’s Black Sea border guards, who have themselves been victims of terror attacks at sea.
- Why patrolling the Black Sea just got more dangerous 19 Nov. 2015 When Russia annexed Crimea, it affected the whole of the Black Sea region. NATO Review went out on patrol with Ukraine’s border guards to see how they have adapted and hear about how they have already suffered fatalities.
- Russia’s approach to ISIL: the hidden benefit of evil 30 Oct. 2015 By attracting jihadists from the North Caucasus, ISIL has actually helped relieve Russia of an internal threat. So countering ISIL is not the real reason for Moscow’s recent intervention in Syria.
- Ukraine’s fight behind the headlines 22 Oct. 2015 Ukraine has many problems. But the war is just one. In our latest piece, we hope to show the ones that you may not have heard of.
- Sanctions after Crimea: Have they worked? 13 Jul. 2015 There is no military solution to the Ukraine problem’ is a phrase that has been repeated numerous times since the conflict began. But could there be an economic solution? In our latest piece, NATO’s Defence economist looks at how effective Western sanctions have been in hurting Russia’s economy – and how the countries who imposed them have fared. And some of the results are surprising.
- It’s not just the war: Ukraine’s fight behind the headlines 08 Jun. 2015 NATO Review outlines that the war in Ukraine covers just 7% of the territory of the country, while other areas of real concern, such as hybrid attacks and a corruption-afflicted economy, affect the whole country.
- Could ISIL go nuclear? 26 May. 2015 As ISIL’s in-house journalist warns that there is an ‘infinitely’ greater chance of the group making a nuclear attack on the West, Wolfgang Rudischhauser looks at how much of this claim is bluff – and how much should be taken seriously.
- Deterrence: what it can (and cannot) do 20 Apr. 2015 Deterrence is designed to influence behaviour. But it has its limitations. Michael Ruehle illustrates how deterrence has never been a silver bullet – but also how maybe the West needs to relearn some of its nuances.
- Blood brothers? 30 Mar. 2015 There's a Baltic state that is preparing for future Russian aggression. A state which suffered similar threats and attacks as those seen in Ukraine today. That was 25 years ago when the country tried to leave the Soviet Union. Today it sits in NATO and the EU. NATO Review takes an in depth look at why Lithuania knows Russia - and the Ukrainian situation - so well.
- Escape from Crimea: the ecologist 19 Mar. 2015 Few would have supposed that an ecologist would be targeted by the Russian authorities when they occupied Crimea. But this man was given 40 minutes to get out of his homeland. Find out why in his brief story.
- Escape from Crimea: the journalist 17 Mar. 2015 Russia’s plans for the Crimea became obvious to the peninsula’s journalists before many others. Freedoms dried up, investigations were obstructed, arrests and beatings followed. Here an editor who was forced to flee Crimea outlines what happened there as the Russian plan unfolded.
- Escape from Crimea: the Tatar 13 Mar. 2015 Russia promised to protect Crimea’s Tatars when it annexed the peninsula. We hear from a refugee who fled to Kiev who says the opposite is happening.
- Europe needs less soldiers – but more European ones 12 Feb. 2015 NATO’s European Allies don’t need to make defence budget commitments that they can’t live up to, argues Stefan Soesanto. What they really need is to make difficult personnel cuts and start mixed nationality defence practices.
- Ukraine’s other war – on corruption 05 Feb. 2015 The headlines about Ukraine have focused largely on its fight against Russia-backed separatists. But Ukraine is fighting another, lower profile war – against the corruption that spread under its former President Yanukovych. And it may be Ukraine’s most important battle.
- How Putin uses missile defence in Europe to distract Russian voters 29 Jan. 2015 What’s the link between NATO’s ballistic missile defence system and Russian voters? Bilyana Lilly finds out.
- Looking back 18 Dec. 2014 NATO Review finishes 2014 by looking back - not just months, but decades. The latest video on information war looks at how the Chernobyl nuclear explosion was handled could prove clues for the next steps in Russia's info attacks on Ukraine. The photostory looks at some of the major events that helped shape Afghanistan over the last four decades.
- How information war can kill 18 Dec. 2014 The information war which has broken out over Russia’s actions in Ukraine has largely been seen as two sides projecting differing opinions. But the way information is controlled, twisted and spread can have serious effects. We look at how information affected the lives of thousands – possibly millions – of people when it was manipulated following the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
- Afghanistan: how it was and how it is 18 Dec. 2014 Afghanistan’s history did not start 30 years ago when it plunged into a prolonged period of war. But this period has had a profound effect on not just the country, but the world. NATO Review looks at some of the iconic images of the country’s path, as NATO ends its combat mission in the country.
- Ukraine: what it hopes to leave behind 01 Dec. 2014 Ukraine is facing change. It is hoping to look forward to less interference, corruption and conflict. Here are some images of what the country hopes to leave behind.
- NATO and EU: tackling hybrid warfare together? 18 Nov. 2014 In response to the conflict in Ukraine, NATO has decided to take on an ambitious task: developing a set of tools to deter and defend against adversaries waging hybrid warfare. One expert believes that the best way that the Alliance can counter this irregular threat is to team-up with other international organisations, particularly with the EU. NATO Review looks at ‘why two is better than one’ and why together with the EU, NATO’s strategic partner, the hybrid warfare could be deterred from.
- Deterring hybrid warfare: a chance for NATO and the EU to work together? 18 Nov. 2014 Hopes were high last December when the EU leaders met to discuss security and defence that this could eventually lead to a joined up EU/NATO approach to security? While waiting for more progress on that, Peter Pindják argues here that tackling hybrid warfare jointly could bring the EU and NATO closer.

Event Calendar

NATO IN FOCUS

The principle of collective defence is at the very heart of NATO’s founding treaty. It remains a unique and enduring principle that binds its members together, committing them to protect each other and setting a spirit of solidarity within the Alliance.

Learn more

Collective defence

NATO has been engaged in continuous transformation for many years to ensure that it has the policies, capabilities and structures required to deal with current and future challenges, including the collective defence of its members.

Learn more

Improving capabilities

Over the past two decades, the Alliance has developed a network of structured partnerships with countries from the Euro-Atlantic area, the Mediterranean and the Gulf region, as well as individual relationships with other partners across the globe.

Learn more

Partnerships

NATO is an active and leading contributor to peace and security on the international stage.

Learn more

Operations and missions

Newsroom

NATO boosts its defence and deterrence posture

The Secretary General

NATO Review

Event Calendar

NATO IN FOCUS

Organization

Topics

Newsroom

e-Library

Quicklinks