NATO's readiness strains Moscow amid rising defence costs
The longer the West supports Kyiv, the greater the Russian losses, and Moscow has limited capabilities to act in other directions, assessed the Chief of the General Staff of the Norwegian Armed Forces, Gen. Eirik Kristoffersen.
“Demonstrating NATO countries’ readiness to defend and use armed forces in defence of allies most effectively shows the Kremlin that a war with the Alliance is the worst possible idea,” stated the Chief of the General Staff of the Norwegian Armed Forces, Gen. Eirik Kristoffersen in an interview.
Kristoffersen emphasized that more than 2.5 years after the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, NATO countries' armies have learned a lot about the new theatre of war.
In his opinion, the most important thing now is not the number of modern equipment but the ability to immediately implement new tools. “Currently, military technology becomes obsolete just a few months after being used on the battlefield,” he emphasized.
Gen. Kristoffersen stated, "Flexibility and the ability to apply necessary tactical and technological solutions at any given moment require us to think in a completely new way about preparing for a potential conflict."
"Unimaginable level of losses"
According to PAP’s interlocutor, the war in Ukraine has weakened Russian forces on other border sections, indicating the unimaginable level of losses being experienced on the Ukrainian front.
“At the Norwegian and Finnish borders, where three years ago three brigades of the Russian army were stationed, today our sources speak of a maximum of three companies. That's just one-fifth of the Russian Federation’s combat capabilities in this region compared to the period before February 2022,” he noted.
The will to defend NATO countries
In the context of a recent statement by the Chief of the Polish General Staff, Gen. Wiesław Kukuła, who claimed that the current generation of Poles will stand with arms in hand to defend the country, Gen. Kristoffersen emphasized that such an attitude and readiness to use one’s own forces in defence of neighbouring nations most effectively convinces the Kremlin that war with NATO is the worst idea.
Gen. Kristoffersen did not want to speculate on the likelihood of an attack on any NATO member, but he noted that Russia is almost at the limits of its capabilities, engaged in the war in Ukraine, which is generating enormous losses. “The longer the West supports Kyiv, the greater the Russian losses, and Moscow has limited capabilities to act in other directions,” he emphasized.
Consequences for the defense industry
“I don’t see any other end to the war than a return to the state before 2014,” assessed Gen. Kristoffersen. At the same time, he drew attention to the fact that NATO countries’ defence industries, including Norway, are operating at the edge of their capabilities. The main challenges are the production and delivery of weapons to Ukraine, rebuilding the stocks of Alliance countries, and decisions to increase the size of armed forces. This causes a noticeable increase in the prices of new weapons.
“The costs of ordering equipment from the list I presented to my superiors at the beginning of last year have tripled since then,” he said.
Norway, in the budget plan announced on Monday for 2025, plans to spend on its defence an amount corresponding to 2.16% of GDP.
