NATO countries have “handily exceeded” the target of placing 300,000 troops on high alert as the alliance faces the threat from Russia.
Thus, as reported by foreign media, a senior official of the alliance said on Thursday.
NATO leaders agreed in the wake of Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine to massively increase the number of forces alliance commanders can deploy within 30 days.
“The offers on the table from the allies exceed the 300,000 that we set as a target,” the official was quoted as saying on condition of anonymity.
“These are the forces that the allies have told us: They are available to you right now at that level of readiness.”
The push to have more troops ready to respond quickly is part of a wider overhaul of Nato’s plans to fend off any potential Russian attack – which was signed off at a summit last year.
Those plans laid out for the first time since the end of the Cold War what each member of the US-led alliance would be expected to do in the event of an invasion by Moscow.
And NATO commanders are currently trying to make sure they have the capabilities to execute those plans if necessary.
