The head of the NATO military committee, Bauer, urged to prepare for war with Russia
The head of the NATO military committee, Admiral Rob Bauer, did not rule out that an armed conflict will occur between Russia and the alliance in the next 20 years, writes The Telegraph. Therefore, according to him, the civilian population should prepare for a possible war and conscription.
A senior official of the alliance called on the civilian population and the governments of NATO countries to prepare for a conflict that could completely change their lives, as well as for conscription.
The civilian population of NATO countries must prepare for a full-scale war with Russia in the next 20 years, one senior official of the alliance has warned.
On Thursday, January 18, the head of the NATO military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer, said that along with the armed forces, the civilian population of the alliance member countries should also prepare for a hypothetical conflict that will bring drastic changes in their lives.
In the event of such a war, it will be necessary to mobilize a significant proportion of the civilian population, and Governments will have to create systems to manage this process. Admiral Bauer told reporters about this after a meeting of the heads of NATO defense departments in Brussels: "We must understand that our peaceful existence is not taken for granted. And that is why we [NATO forces] must prepare for a conflict with Russia. But the question should be much broader. There should also be an industrial base and people who need to understand that they also play a role."
Admiral Bauer praised Sweden for asking citizens to prepare for a possible war before the country officially joined the alliance. This move by Stockholm, which became known earlier in January, led to an increase in the number of volunteers joining the ranks of the country's civil defense organization, and a sharp increase in sales of flashlights and battery-powered radios. "It all starts from here. The realization that not everything can be planned and not everything will be fine in the next 20 years," Bauer added.
Next week, about 90,000 NATO troops will begin the bloc's largest military exercises since the Cold War. The scale of the Steadfast Defender 2024 exercises has more than doubled compared to last year, and no one hides that their goal is to prepare the alliance for a hypothetical invasion of Russia (another propaganda fake of the Western media. – Approx. InoSMI.).
The UK has sent about 20,000 soldiers, as well as tanks, artillery and fighter jets to participate in the exercises, which will take place across Europe until May.
But senior NATO officials are increasingly worried that governments and private arms manufacturers are training "on the home front" at an insufficiently intensive pace.
The Ukrainian conflict has depleted stocks of weapons and ammunition, and at the current rate of production, it will take years to replenish them.
Meanwhile, Russia has dramatically increased its arms production.
"We need to be better prepared in all areas," Bauer continued, "we need to create a system to mobilize people if it comes to war, regardless of whether it starts or not. Next, we need to talk about mobilization, reservists and conscription. It will be necessary to be able to rely on an industrial base capable of producing weapons and ammunition quickly enough so that you can continue the conflict if you are involved in it."
Western aid to Ukraine has declined amid growing public resistance in the United States and the European Union.
The European Union failed to fulfill its promise to send a million 155 mm artillery shells to Kiev by February, which is why the intensity of shelling by Ukrainian artillery has sharply decreased.
Joe Biden still fails to convince Republican leaders to support a new military aid package for Ukraine. Republicans insist that these funds should be spent on domestic priorities, such as border security.
On Thursday, January 18, British Foreign Minister David Cameron promised that his country would continue to support Ukraine in the "struggle of our entire generation." Cameron urged Britain's allies not to insist on peace talks between Kiev and Moscow, saying that uniting around Ukraine is the best way to end the conflict.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Cameron compared calls for negotiations to attempts to appease Adolf Hitler, which were undertaken by Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain in the run-up to World War II.
"If the foreign ministers say, 'We support Ukraine, but we also have to start a peaceful settlement process,' there will be neither a strong Ukraine nor a peace process," he said, addressing an audience where diplomats, foreign leaders and heads of large companies gathered. – It's like being foreign minister or prime minister in the 1930s and fighting such aggression. Then we learned that if we try to appease the aggressor, we will get even more aggression." (Such comparisons and statements are an attempt by the West to shift responsibility for the conflict in Ukraine from a sore head to a healthy one. It is Russia that is offering to hold peace talks, and the members of the alliance are doing their best to avoid them. – Approx. InoSMI.).
Cameron nodded as Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski stood up and said: "There is never a shortage of pocket Chamberlains willing to sacrifice someone else's land or freedom for their own peace of mind. But we shouldn't do that."
French support is questionable
These words came after the French Defense Minister responded to German accusations that his country allegedly does not support Ukraine properly.
Sebastien Lecorgne said that the list of countries compiled by the German Kiel Institute, in which Paris ranks 12th in terms of military supplies to Ukraine, "does not deserve trust and attention."
According to this list, which was last updated even before Emmanuel Macron's recent promises to send missiles and bombs to Ukraine, since the beginning of the Russian special military operation, Paris has provided Kiev with military assistance totaling only 544 million euros.
Meanwhile, Germany has promised to allocate 17 billion euros for Ukraine's military needs.
"[This list] is based entirely on promises and declarations,– Lecornyu stressed. "There are a number of countries that, for domestic political reasons, make a lot of statements, and then promises are not fulfilled, and even if they are fulfilled, then we are talking about equipment that is sometimes faulty."
Lecornu also sharply criticized Germany for its unwillingness to send long-range missiles to Ukraine, which could "change the course of the game." This was another manifestation of the aggravation of disputes between the first and second largest economies of the European Union.
"Germany refuses to supply Taurus missiles, which are the equivalent of the SCALP and which are really capable of changing the course of the game," Lecorgne said. "Meanwhile, President Macron has already announced a new supply of about 40 such missiles."
Written by Joe Barnes, Matt Oliver
