NATO faces critical shortfall in air defense for Eastern Europe

Russia's war against Ukraine has underscored the importance of air defense, as evidenced by Kyiv's requests for additional systems and missiles to protect cities, troops, and the power grid from daily air raids. However, Europe is completely unprepared to defend against air attacks, "FT" writes.

According to individuals cited by the newspaper who are familiar with last year's confidential defence plans, NATO countries can provide less than 5 per cent of the air defence capability deemed necessary to protect Central and Eastern European member states from a full-scale attack, writes PAP correspondent Bartłomiej Niedziński from London.

One high-ranking NATO diplomat stated that the ability to defend against missile and air attacks is a "core part of the plan to defend Eastern Europe from invasion," adding, "And right now we don’t have it."

"FT" writes that some European leaders and military commanders claim that by the end of the decade, Russia could be capable of attacking a NATO member state. Its intensive use of missiles, drones, and highly destructive Soviet-era glide bombs in Ukraine has made the rebuilding of NATO's defensive capabilities, after three decades of defense spending cuts, an urgent matter.

"(Air defence) is one of the biggest gaps we have. We can’t deny that," said another cited NATO diplomat.

The inability of European NATO countries to supply Ukraine with additional air defence equipment in recent months has shown how limited Europe’s stock of expensive and slow-to-produce air defence systems is.

The concerns are further exacerbated by Russia's use of low-cost long-range drones against Ukraine, notes the British daily.

"Long-range attacks are no longer the (exclusive) capability of a superpower," said one Western defence official.

The cited NATO official cautioned that "defence goals and plans are classified" but noted that air and missile defence "is of the highest priority" and that "supplies are dwindling."

New NATO defense plans also significantly raise the requirements for air and missile defense in terms of quantity and readiness, the official said, emphasizing that member states are investing in new air defense capabilities, including fighter jets.

Immediately after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the United States deployed the Patriot air defence system to protect the airport in Rzeszów, a hub through which Western weapons were being sent to Ukraine. However, officials state that NATO members have so few of such systems available that their ability to deploy them outside their own territory is severely limited.