NATO leaders have decided this Friday to deploy the Rapid Response Forces to increase the defense of allies in the midst of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
After the virtual meeting of allied leaders, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced the deployment by land, sea and air of these forces to respond to “any contingency”. NATO special troops will be deployed “in a matter of days” at various points on the eastern flank of the Atlantic Alliance, he explained.
“Russia has put an end to peace in Europe,” Stoltenberg criticized, indicating that the step taken makes clear NATO’s will for collective defense in the midst of a large-scale Russian attack. Although he has not specified the number of forces that will be mobilized, he has spoken of mobilizing thousands of Rapid Response Force units, both American and European.
The Rapid Response Forces are made up of up to 40,000 troops with the capacity to deploy in any scenario within a period of five days and for a maximum of 30. Just a month ago, the United States announced that it was putting 8,500 troops on alert to support a possible activation of NATO’s rapid action forces in the face of Russian aggression.
This structure includes the international brigades of the Very High Availability Joint Force, battalions of thousands of troops that, supported by air, naval and special operations forces, can be deployed urgently to deal with military crises.
During 2022, France leads the high readiness forces and 3,500 troops from a Franco-German brigade will function as the main core of these forces during the current year. These units are activated in defense of the allies and as a dissuasive element to avoid an escalation of the crisis as a sign of the military commitment of the NATO allies with the Defense of all the members of the organization.