NATO faces escalating air attacks from Russia
In recent months, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has been bolstering its presence in the Baltic region in response to escalating Russian activity. Since August, Poland has been safeguarding the airspace of the Baltic countries for NATO, with the support of several alliance countries.
The reinforcement was deemed necessary, according to researcher Kimball, due to vulnerabilities in the alliance's response to Russian incursions. If incursions intensify, the alliance will need to find more suitable ways to respond to these emerging threats.
Poland and its NATO allies have been employing F-16 and F-35 fighter jets, as well as American Patriot missile defense systems, to down Russian drones. These drones, while costly to neutralize at over $3 million each, are relatively inexpensive to manufacture, costing only a few thousand dollars.
Justina Budginaite-Froehly argues that NATO should innovate and equip itself with more affordable weapons to effectively shoot down these drones. This would help address the disproportionate cost of defending against these threats.
Russia's actions are aimed at testing NATO's defense capabilities, identifying potential security gaps, and fueling divisions within the transatlantic alliance. The Kremlin uses these incursions to evaluate reactions and tries to identify where the divisions are between member states.
For instance, on Friday, three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets violated Estonian airspace for 12 minutes before being intercepted by Italian F-35s. Four days later, a Geran drone violated Romanian airspace for nearly an hour before leaving.
NATO has responded by establishing the Eastern Sentry mission to strengthen its eastern flank and deter Russian incursions. The US is not participating in this deployment, but several alliance countries, including France, Germany, the UK, Denmark, and Italy, have joined the mission with combat aircraft, air defense systems, and surveillance aircraft.
Anessa Kimball suggests that if Russia continues these provocative acts, it may be attempting to widen the war in Ukraine to prevent the conflict from 'freezing.' She believes that the future should include Ukraine's accession to NATO to put an end to the ambiguity with Ukraine.
According to longitudinal studies, the probability of achieving a durable peace after three years decreases, and this is the risk Russia is running, to destabilize the conflict at this stage. Justina Budginaite-Froehly hopes that NATO will have 'the courage' to break with its strictly defensive strategy and act proactively to shape the future of the Euro-Atlantic area.
On September 9-10, 19 long-range Russian Gerbera drones entered Polish airspace, triggering a NATO intervention for the first time since the start of the war in Ukraine. Russia has incursions into the airspace of NATO member countries, including Poland and Estonia.
As the situation continues to evolve, it is clear that NATO will need to remain vigilant and adapt its strategies to respond effectively to Russian incursions. The alliance will need to find a balance between maintaining a strong defensive posture and taking proactive measures to deter further Russian aggression.
Read also:
- United States tariffs pose a threat to India, necessitating the recruitment of adept negotiators or strategists, similar to those who had influenced Trump's decisions.
- Weekly happenings in the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag)
- Southwest region's most popular posts, accompanied by an inquiry:
- Discussion between Putin and Trump in Alaska could potentially overshadow Ukraine's concerns
