Top NATO official Adm. Rob Bauer warned Thursday that a larger war with Russia and other adversaries is a real threat amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Bauer, chair of the Western security alli…

Top NATO official Adm. Rob Bauer warned Thursday that a larger war with Russia and other adversaries is a real threat amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Bauer, chair of the Western security alliance’s Military Committee, said “not everything is going to be hunky dory in the next 20 years.”

“I’m not saying it is going wrong tomorrow, but we have to realize it’s not a given that we are in peace,” he said at a press conference in Brussels. “That’s why we have the plans, that’s why we are preparing for conflict with Russia and the terror groups if it comes to it.”

Bauer emphasized the security alliance is defensive and does not seek conflict or a wider war.

“But if they attack us, we have to be ready,” he added.

  • Asafum@lemmy.worldEnglish
    205·
    10 months ago

    So… Putin can’t take Ukraine and is losing a not insignificant part of their military capabilities and yet we’re concerned that we’re going to deal with more war with Russia? Are they going to be coming after Europeans with sharpened sticks?

    • takeda@kbin.social
      316·
      10 months ago

      Russia doesn’t need Ukraine on its own, they need Ukraine to get access Poland, Romania and Moldova.

      They already switched into war time production, and if they manage to get Ukraine they only need a year or two to replenish all military equipment.

      People really underestimate Russia and that’s the worst thing you can do to get caught pants down. If Russia senses there’s a chance to succeed they will move on.

      Another thing the West seems to be ignoring is that they think the war is just what is happening in Ukraine, when the majority of their operation is disinformation, subversion, and destabilization.

      The popularity of far right politicians (who for some reason are friendly toward Kremlin) or BRExit shows how effective it is.

      • Dogyote@slrpnk.netEnglish
        5·
        10 months ago

        Russia doesn’t need Ukraine on its own, they need Ukraine to get access Poland, Romania and Moldova.

        But why? Poland and Romania are already in NATO. Isn’t that why they’re attacking Ukraine now and Georgia in 2008, to prevent them from joining NATO?

      • cygnus@lemmy.caEnglish
        72·
        10 months ago

        They already switched into war time production, and if they manage to get Ukraine they only need a year or two to replenish all military equipment.

        And who’s going to do all the replenishing? Disabled former soldiers, the single moms the dead ones left behind, or the almost nonexistent men over 55? Oh, maybe they could liberate the prison population, half of which has AIDS.

        Edit: not to mention their enormous deficit in power projection, assuming they could replenish their equipment and find people to operate it. They barely have a navy, have essentially lost access to the Baltic, and other than Belarus have no allies who would let them use their territory for staging.

      • Tattorack@lemmy.worldEnglish
        63·
        10 months ago

        Considering the poor state of all their military equipment, I wonder how many of their nukes are actually functional.