NATO has announced the possibility of a first strike against dictator Putin. This was stated by the Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, Lieutenant Admiral Rob Bauer of the Royal Netherlands Navy, during a discussion at the European Policy Center.
“I mean, the idea used to be that we were a defensive alliance, so we would sit back and wait until we were attacked. And then, when we are attacked, we will be able to shoot down the “arrows” (missiles – ed.) that will come to us. But it is more reasonable not only to do this, but also to attack the “shooter” who is in Russia, if Russia attacks us,” the admiral explained.
He emphasized that NATO countries need to destroy weapons systems that are used to attack the Alliance.
“And, of course, since we are a defensive alliance, we will have to take the first strike,” said Admiral Bauer.
He believes that NATO countries need to invest more in air defense and long-range capabilities amid the threat from Russia.
The North Atlantic Alliance has also recently called on the management of major Western companies to be prepared for war conditions and to adjust their production and distribution lines accordingly to become less vulnerable to Russia and China.
Meanwhile, Czech Chief of General Staff Karel Řehka said that his country’s army needs more military spending. His words were quoted by Radio Prague International. Řehka believes that Russia’s attack on Ukraine is a warning signal to all democratic countries that must strengthen their defense and resilience.
“Russia is strengthening its offensive policy towards Ukraine and the Western world and is creating a coalition that includes Iran, China and North Korea,” he said.
The Chief of the Czech General Staff emphasized that the Czech army needs more military spending, more professional soldiers and more active reserves to better prepare for new obligations in the field of collective defense.
Czech Defense Minister Jana Černohová added that next year the country’s defense budget may have to be increased from 2% to 3% of GDP.
“Yes, we have to act… And not just act, but to clear up a big pile of problems. When aggressive maniacs were not stopped in time.
The first time Putin felt impunity for his crimes was in 2008 when he attacked Georgia. The second time was in 2014 when he attacked Ukraine. The third time was in 2022, when Putin decided to completely destroy Ukraine by launching a large-scale offensive.
Now a big fight is unavoidable. We will not be able to hide and sit out somewhere. Therefore, we need to be well prepared and ready. As they used to say in ancient times – “Amat victoria curam” – “Victory loves good preparation”.
