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NATO to massively increase reaction forces

The Western military alliance will boost the number of forces at high readiness to over 300,000, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters ahead of a summit in Madrid.
Image: BELGIUM-NATO-DEFENCE-SUMMIT
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg was speaking at a news conference ahead of the summit later this week.Kenzo Tribouillard / AFP - Getty Images
/ Source: Reuters

NATO will increase the number of its forces at high readiness massively to over 300,000 amid Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday.

“We will transform the NATO response force and increase the number of our high readiness forces to well over 300,000,” he told reporters ahead of a NATO summit in Madrid later this week.

NATO’s quick reaction force, the NATO response force, so far has some 40,000 troops.

At the Madrid summit, NATO will also change its language on Russia that in the alliance’s last strategy from 2010 was still described as a strategic partner.

“That will not be the case in the strategic concept that we will agree in Madrid,” Stoltenberg said.

“I expect that allies will state clearly that Russia poses a direct threat to our security, to our values, to the rules-based international order.”