NATO Positions Itself For War
Consider This from NPR
NPR
4.2 • 6.2K Ratings
🗓️ 15 March 2024
⏱️ 13 minutes
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Summary
And NATO asked itself - was it prepared to defend its territory if war arrived on its doorstep?
The answer was no.
So, its military chief decided it was time to ramp up NATO's strategy and revive its military headquarters.
And for the first time this spring, NATO will exercise brand new war plans to prepare for the worst.
The plan comes as Donald Trump makes another run at the White House, and expresses skepticism about NATO along the way. Can NATO take on Russia if American support for the alliance doesn't hold?
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | On April 4th, 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty was signed by Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands. |
| 0:09.7 | More simply, NATO was formed. |
| 0:11.7 | The Alliance came together in the aftermath of World War II and as Russia |
| 0:15.9 | became increasingly more threatening toward its neighbors. |
| 0:19.4 | Fame journalist Edward R. Murrow explained the purpose of the Allied countries in this NATO archival |
| 0:24.7 | film. |
| 0:25.7 | They were sworn to stand together against aggression. |
| 0:28.7 | An attack against one would be an attack against all. And that all for one and one for all mentality is codified in NATO's Article 5. |
| 0:39.0 | When war is waged on NATO territory, all the Allies must agree to respond. |
| 0:44.6 | But things at NATO's military headquarters in Belgium, which is called the Supreme |
| 0:47.8 | Headquarters Allied Powers Europe or shape, had been pretty quiet since the Cold War until now. |
| 0:55.0 | We have to change the shape of our headquarters |
| 0:58.0 | so that they're fit for their new purpose. |
| 1:00.0 | That's General Christopher G. Kavolians, NATO's military chief, speaking last fall. |
| 1:05.0 | And once again, NATO is being spurred to action by a menacing Russia seeking to expand. |
| 1:11.6 | Certainly coming out of 2022, the Alliance has made it absolutely crystal clear that we have to get back to collective |
| 1:18.8 | territorial defense. |
| 1:20.2 | We've got two named adversaries, terror groups and the Russian Federation. |
| 1:24.0 | Both are active enough to put a fine point on the fact that we need to get back to this. |
| 1:28.0 | Back to reviving NATO's military strategy and its headquarters. |
| 1:32.0 | Shape is in the midst of transforming back into a proper war command center. |
| 1:37.0 | NATO is growing its response force by 8fold and just last week |
... |
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