The Wall Street Journal reports that NATO is working out a new approach to defense under which, in the event of a Russian attack on alliance countries, strikes could be carried out not only against advancing troops at the borders, but also against targets deep inside Russian territory. This refers to military bases, supply depots, command posts, communications nodes, defense enterprises, critical infrastructure and resource bases.
NATO’s previous logic was built around deterrence and stopping an offensive at the alliance’s borders. Now, according to the WSJ, the military considers it necessary not simply to repel an attack, but to destroy the system that sustains it: logistics, reserves, weapons production and troop command. This approach is described in the publication as “defeating the archer rather than defending against the arrows.”
A key element should be long-range precision weapons — both expensive systems and more mass-produced and cheaper ones. Among the platforms under consideration, the WSJ names American ATACMS and Tomahawk, as well as European Storm Shadow, SCALP and Taurus.
NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe Alexus Grynkewich presented a “theory of victory” over Russia in Warsaw on October 12. According to him, if the offensive continues, the alliance will “break the combat system,” striking both the advancing forces and “everything that supports, enables or controls” their actions.
