Researcher Ståle Ulriksen at FHS Naval Warfare School believes that the NATO countries have major shortcomings and that the defense alliance is currently not equipped for a war against Russia in Ukraine.
– Almost everyone presents NATO as a very strong military power that can almost stop Russia by snapping its fingers. But if you look at the NATO countries’ military equipment, you will find major shortcomings, Ulriksen tells Dagbladet and continues:
RESEARCHER: Ståle Ulriksen at FHS Naval War College. Photo: The Norwegian Defense College
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– They are not even close to being equipped for a war against Russia on European plains: They have old tanks, little artillery and almost no air defense.
Military forces
Ulriksen’s statements come in continuation of the fact that Dagbladet has asked him what he thinks about whether NATO should get involved militarily in Ukraine. He has previously said that NATO should have created more uncertainty about what they want to doand that a military conflict between NATO and Russia in Ukraine will not necessarily lead to World War III or nuclear war.
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Ulriksen has been assistant director at NUPI, a member of the Defense Policy Committee and a member of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Security Policy Committee.
– The NATO countries have few forces on high alert, even 40,000 soldiers spread from Estonia to Romania is a small force. On paper, they have great strengths, but it will require a long time and a lot of money for them to become operational, and a long time to actually move them where there may be a need for them, says Ulriksen.
– The NATO countries in Western Europe and the USA have almost no mobilized forces.
Recently, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg announced that the defense alliance plans to deploy a permanent full-scale military force on their eastern flank.
– Not realistic
Dagbladet has presented Ulriksen’s assessments to Sverre Diesen. He is a researcher at the Norwegian Defense Research Establishment (FFI), general and Norway’s former Chief of Defense. Diesen responds as follows:
– Ulriksen is obviously right that NATO is not prepared for a major European war against Russia on European plains of the same type and scope as we could imagine during the Cold War. On the other hand, under no circumstances is this a realistic scenario either, Diesen tells Dagbladet and elaborates:
– First and foremost because Russia is currently even less able to go to war against NATO as almost all of their capacity is tied up and under strong pressure in Ukraine. In addition, NATO has no intention of getting involved in such a thing, even if they had sufficient forces in readiness for it.
RESEARCHER: Sverre Diesen at the Norwegian Defense Research Establishment. Photo: Ole Berg-Rusten / NTB
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– NATO could have done more
Researcher Ulriksen says that in many NATO countries there are voices demanding that NATO get involved militarily in Ukraine. Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Ulriksen believes he has observed a development in what sanctions they are willing to impose on Russia and what weapons they are willing to deliver to Ukraine.
– NATO could clearly have done more if they wanted to, for example, delivered more weapons to Ukraine. If one believes that the war will be long-lasting, one should perhaps start training the Ukrainians to use Western weapon systems, and at the same time increase the production of these systems, Ulriksen says.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj asked Norway to deliver the air defense system NASAMS to Ukraine when he spoke before the Storting. It is estimated that it will take one month to train the Ukrainians to use the current weapons system.
