AFP
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NOS News•today, 07:03
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Aida Brands
editor Brussels
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Aida Brands
editor Brussels
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NATO is set to grow significantly in the near future. Budgets are going up, the number of military personnel is increasing and two new member states are being added. At the NATO summit in Madrid to be concluded this afternoon, member states managed to take a number of important decisions.
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Even before the summit had officially started, Turkey lifted the blockadee opposed the accession of Finland and Sweden. In addition, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg announced that the rapid reaction force will grow from 40,000 to 300,000.
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More, more, more
NATO as an organization will also grow. The countries will not only increase their own defense budget, but will also contribute more to the joint NATO budget. The intention is that the current budget of about 2.5 billion per year will approximately double by 2030. This amount will be distributed among all NATO countries.
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The countries have also agreed with each other in a “strategic concept” on what the alliance will focus on in the coming years. It is no surprise that Russia is seen as the biggest threat. China is also mentioned, for the first time. There are great concerns about Chinese cyber attacks and the Chinese hunger for raw materials.
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NATO is reborn
It is important for NATO countries to radiate unity and decisiveness. After years of budget cuts, the helm has completely changed. While French President Macron called the alliance brain dead a few years ago, NATO is now said to have been reborn.
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Because of the war in Ukraine, the need for a good defense is greater than ever. There is no shortage of commitment from the Member States. However, much is still unclear about the exact details of the plans.
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How, what and when?
For example, it is not yet known when the 300,000 soldiers of the NATO Response Force will be available. NATO chief executive Jens Stoltenberg mentioned 2023, while Germany is thinking more about 2025. It is also not clear how exactly the NATO countries will achieve this.
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All countries will have to contribute more material and military personnel in the coming years. The Americans are going to increase their presence in Eastern Europe. They want to open a military headquarters in Poland.
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Defense Minister Ollongren does not yet know how many extra troops the Netherlands will deploy in the coming years. That has to be determined in the near future. Her German colleague Christine Lambrecht did not have to wait for that and already announced on Tuesday that Germany will deploy 15,000 extra soldiers.
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It is not the intention that the extra soldiers will all be stationed along NATO’s eastern border in the coming years. The alliance wants to be able to scale up the troops when it is really necessary.
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It is certain, however, that more equipment will be stationed on the eastern border. Politicians point out that this is the only way in which such a commitment can be sustained for a longer period of time. It will become clear in the near future how realistic the targets are.
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