Bloomberg: NATO insists on a significant increase in land air defense in Europe

NATO asks European Member States to expand the possibilities of ground air defense five times as the Alliance is trying to fill the key gap in response to the threat of Russian aggression, Bloomberg reported by people familiar with this issue.

According to sources of the publication, this issue will be discussed at the meeting of NATO Member States Ministers in Brussels on Thursday.

Bloomberg writes that a five-fold goal will be collective for European Member States with individual levels. The timeframe for air defense efforts has not been determined.

For years, Europe has fought with insufficient air protection. The problem became even more acute after the countries have sent a large part of their reserves to Ukraine after the full -scale invasion of Russia, which has been going on for the fourth year.

Representatives of defense agencies also warned that air defense on the continent will not be able to provide sufficient cover of ground operations in the event of an attack.

According to a high -ranking European military official, NATO members also need to strengthen terrestrial air defense systems that protect against threats, including more sophisticated drones, missiles and fighters.

Over the past three decades, according to a high -ranking official, the Alliance has reduced the number of such systems, since NATO’s attention has shifted from the sphere that was inherent to him during the Cold War and focused on threats in the Middle East and North Africa.

This calculation changed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and an increase in fears in Member States on the Eastern NATO flank.