Russian invasion of Ukraine has reinvigorated and changed Nato, Dsaceur says
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has reinvigorated Nato and led to a massive period of change within the alliance, according to Nato’s military number two in Europe.
Admiral Sir Keith Blount, who is Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe (Dsaceur) and the most senior UK officer in Nato, was clear in an address he made to the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi), the defence and security think tank.
The invasion of Ukraine by Russia has changed everything for Nato, with agility and rapid adaptation is now the order of the day for the alliance, he said.
"Dispel any doubt or clichéd image of a supertanker unable to turn," he said.
"Nations looked towards Nato and Nato got very busy."
Admiral Sir Keith also said Russia's invasion made Nato assess itself and "crystallised the requirement for a wholesale reset to collective deterrence".
"And of course, if necessary, defence," he said.
The alliance embarked on a massive planning phase to develop a fresh military strategy, with results included a new rapid reaction force and a new joint force command in Norfolk, Virginia.
Sir Keith says critical to Nato's change has been learning the lessons from Russia's strategic failures in Ukraine, especially around logistics.
This saw the "establishing the Joint Support and Enabling Command in Ulm in Germany".
"The Jsec, as it's known, has mapped the arterial systems of roads, railways and rivers across the Euro-Atlantic through the prism of military movement and sustainment," he said.
Admiral Sir Keith also noted how the amount member countries contribute to the alliance has gone up significantly.
In 2014, just two nations contributed at least 2% of GDP in 2014, while 23 now hit the spending target.
He also stressed the need to get the balance right between conventional and new high-tech forces.
"Most profoundly, however, Nato's an alliance with a laser focus on achieving the right outcome for Ukraine and for the one billion citizens it serves," he said.
It comes after Admiral Sir Keith was interviewed as part of a special live episode of the BFBS Forces News' Sitrep podcast.
He said the world has changed since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and society needs to adapt.
He told Claire Sadler and resident defence expert Professor Michael Clarke that "we're not on a bungee cord that's going to take us back to how things were before".
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