Robin Emmott

BRUSSELS, (Reuters) – NATO defense ministers will agree on Thursday a new masterplan to protect against any Russian attack on multiple fronts. Officials said that the plan would be used to deter Moscow despite its new focus on China.

The secret strategy goes above and beyond the existing regional defense plans. It is designed to plan for any simultaneous attack on the Baltic or Black Sea areas, including hacking into computer networks and from space.

Diplomats and officials insist that no imminent attack on this scale is planned. Russia has denied any warlike plans and claims NATO poses a threat to Europe by such preparedness.

However, former U.S. and NATO officials and diplomats insist that the Concept for Defence and Defense in the Euro-Atlantic Area – along with its strategic implementation plan – are essential as Russia continues to develop advanced weapons systems and moves troops closer to allied borderlines.

A senior U.S. official stated that “if you have such a major conflict it will require action across the whole area of operations.” It is possible for multiple things to happen simultaneously, which requires holistic planning.

According to Western officials, Russia had some 100,000 soldiers on the border with Ukraine in May. This is more than any number Moscow has deployed since 2014 when it annexed Crimea. Russia’s ex-Soviet ally Belarus used combat robots to conduct large military drills that alarmed its Baltic allies.

Russia has been upgrading or replacing Soviet military satellite systems with the potential to strike satellites in orbit. Moscow also develops artificial intelligence-based technologies that can disrupt command systems of allies. Moscow is now developing “super weapons”.

They were unveiled in 2018 and include hypersonic cruise missiles with nuclear capabilities that can evade early warning systems.

The former U.S. Army General Ben Hodges told Reuters that he hoped that the strategic plan would bring more unity to NATO’s collective defense and provide more resources for countries in the Black Sea.

Hodges noted that this was the most likely point of conflict than the Baltics. He also mentioned the lack of big allies, such as France and Britain, which are strong in the Black Sea. Turkey is more focused on the crisis in Syria.

Jamie Shea (a former NATO officer who is now at the Friends of Europe think-tank, in Brussels) said that this plan may also serve to focus more attention on Russia, at a time where the United States of America, Britain, and France are working together on Indo-Pacific strategies.

Allies want to increase their presence in Indo-Pacific to counter China’s growing military power. They are deploying more ships and keeping open maritime routes.

The assumption that Russia was a problem is incorrect. It’s not threatening, however. Shea explained that Russia is doing some disturbing things. For example, the Russians have been practicing robotics. Hypersonic cruise missiles may be quite disruptive.