NATO to Triple Size of Reaction Force

(CNN)NATO announced late Wednesday it will triple the capacity of its Response Force to 40,000 troops.

Let me guess, more saber rattling?

Or, could this be actual steps towards preparation for war?

"We have just taken another step forward in adapting NATO to our changed and more challenging security environment," Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in Brussels, Belgium.

In light of Russia's involvement in eastern Ukraine and Moscow's recent decision to upgrade its military, including its nuclear arsenal, NATO is "carefully assessing the implications of what Russia is doing, including its nuclear activities," Stoltenberg said.

CNN

I keep hearing from everyone that it's just for show. That it's all just posturing.

Well, there comes a time when your posturing gets you into some trouble. And at that point, you have to decide: turn tail and back down, or put your money where your mouth is.

Unfortunately, in this case putting your money where your mouth is could mean massive war the likes of which this world has never seen.

But hopefully it's just posturing...

a reply to: gatorboi117

With the ever increasing forces gathering around Russia there are some in the EU see it as a threat to them ,because of what the response could be . This guy get's it and is speaking quite loudly about it / " Lafontaine’s outburst came a day after his wife, Sarah Wagenknecht, blasted Merkel’s Russia policy in an interview on RT.

Here is the full translation of the post:

“The US ‘Defense’ secretary, i.e., war minister is in Berlin. He called on Europe to counter Russian ‘aggression’. But in fact, it is US aggression which Europeans should be opposing.

“The Grandmaster of US diplomacy, George Kennan described the eastward expansion of NATO as the biggest US foreign policy mistake since WW2, because it will lead to a new cold war.

“The US diplomat Victoria Nuland said we have spent $5 billion to destabilize the Ukraine. They stoke the flames ever higher, and Europe pays for it with lower trade and lost jobs.

“Nuland says ‘F*ck the EU’. We need need an EU foreign policy that stops warmongering US imperialism.

“F*ck US imperialism!” Top German Politician Tells Ash Carter to 'Go F**K' Himself. Finally! russia-insider.com...

a reply to: gatorboi117

If you want peace....prepare for war...

a reply to: nwtrucker

I see NATO is preparing and I think Putin said that they were good to go . How far is Brussels from Russia ? Russia has sub's too ,don't they . Makes a person wonder what will be targeted eh ?

It is pretty clear that the more the US gets involved over there where they are not even wanted that the whole situation becomes more destabilized and is going to get a lot of innocent people hurt.
Pretty much any of the places that we are occupying are not for defense of our own soil but for the protection of some rich people's money. We've all seen the navy commercials showing out forces saying in defense of all we hold dear back home. ..are we really in that much trouble that we need force around the entire planet to defend the home land?

a reply to: the2ofusr1

I don't really worry about it.

I would, however, rather be prepared for it than not. This 'build-up' does nothing more than slowing a quick move down a bit.

Let's face it, no move by the U.S. and the EU does nothing but hand-wring with worry. (Too long dependent of a major U.S. military presence?)

I'd guess that all this does is sends a message to Putin that there will be no more moves/'liberations' without response.

Heck, I'd have moved at least a squadron of Raptors to the U.K. over and above this....

NATO has been disarming for two decades. And they would have happily kept doing so until Russia went all we want to be the Soviet Union again. Russia's MO has been to grab a small part of country with a small force and then reinforce it making the attacked nation make a choice between escalating and trying to retake the territory or just sit and deal with it. NATO is taking away this option with a large enough quick reaction force so that small force grabbing some land would quickly be driven off. To be successful in a land grab now would require a large scale deployment that NATO could see coming a mile away and counter. Oddly enough this will reduce the chance of conflict.

And for Russia this should come as no surprise a it threats against bordering states be they NATO or neutral was bound to get a reaction. Russia was perhaps hoping for fearful submission but, they would be naive to think that was going to be the likely result. Then again Russia has made series of missteps with the idea that the West was weak.

a reply to: MrSpad

Well said. I'd part ways with the last comment.

The west IS weak, will-wise.

All in all, a stabilizing act.

a reply to: JHumm

What is clear is if they weren't 'wanted', they would be allowed to land and deploy by the EU.

YOU may not want it...I do...

a reply to: MrSpad

Russia was in the Crimea before during and after and will remain there .They don't need to move their country anywhere and only have to have their defensive ducks in order .It really shouldn't come at any extra costs .NATO on the other hand has to pay for troops equipment supplies and logistics .So as long as nobody makes a stupid mistake and doesn't cross that red line it will be a quiet cold war on the western front while a busy economic front to the east . I wonder what the EU will do for gas if they are forced to keep Russia out ? I am sure the sanctions will bite harder and harder the longer this goes .

People in Armenia are pissed right now about their electric bills . Some how a US company bought the power their and had to jack their rates . Ukraine is going through the same kind of a issue .No gas no power .No coal no power . Its going to be a waiting game .

a reply to: nwtrucker


You want the US to send equipment someplace that they know will cause problems and most likely alot of casualties? To try to stop Russia from doing what the US is doing in more places than you can even imagine? And seeing the weapons we send to " help" end up being used against our own troops?

And isn't anyone had enough of the US fighting for the rest of the world while our own country is falling apart from the inside out
And at the expense of the taxpayers?

originally posted by: the2ofusr1
a reply to: MrSpad

Russia was in the Crimea before during and after and will remain there .They don't need to move their country anywhere and only have to have their defensive ducks in order .It really shouldn't come at any extra costs .NATO on the other hand has to pay for troops equipment supplies and logistics .So as long as nobody makes a stupid mistake and doesn't cross that red line it will be a quiet cold war on the western front while a busy economic front to the east . I wonder what the EU will do for gas if they are forced to keep Russia out ? I am sure the sanctions will bite harder and harder the longer this goes .

People in Armenia are pissed right now about their electric bills . Some how a US company bought the power their and had to jack their rates . Ukraine is going through the same kind of a issue .No gas no power .No coal no power . Its going to be a waiting game .

The occupation and running of Crimea is a very expensive task, as is maintaining Russian forces fighting in Ukraine. In particular since Russia only has a small number of professional troops they can use for long term operations. One year conscripts tend to only have 9 months left in service after training and need most of that time for additional training.

In the East the competition between China and Russia for influence in those states is heating up. China has taken a great deal of trade from Russia in the Stans there becoming there leading trade partner costing Russia money.

Natural gas will continue to come from Russia because Russia can not afford for the EU to go elsewhere. In particular with sanctions on Iran likely to end and west investment will pour into to get the second largest gas reserves onto the market. Russia needs to make as much as it can before the market becomes flooded.

And in Armenia you got things a little back words. People are protesting about the price of power. However, the power company is Armenian and subsidiary of a Russian company who of course needs money do to Russia's economic troubles. Russian media is reporting that the protests being caused by the USA of course and the Armenia's are happy with their power bills.

a reply to: JHumm

Sorry, I don't buy your view of it.

This is hardly a surprise given Russias increasingly beligerant actions. The worse they get, tbe more the bordering natikns will flock to NATO.

a reply to: gatorboi117

People who say it is sabre-rattling and posturing are the ones who can not comprehend why anyone would want a war and presume all others think like them.

How ever not everyone thinks alike.

It will just take the right combination of aggressive people in power on one side or another and you get a war.


Thats why i wish we could put the nuclear bombs genie back in its bottle.
Because it is not a case of if but when the nukes will fly.

originally posted by: MrSpad Then again Russia has made series of missteps with the idea that the West was weak.

I could take that comment and put it exactly the opposite way. It is the west that thought Russia was weak and tested grounds in Georgia with the mentally unstable Sakashvilli going for a land grab. It is the west that made series of missteps in Ukraine and financed the revolution only to see Russia expanded into a bigger country. It is the same West is powerless to revert the situation now. Sure there are sanctions , but that has not changed Russian policy one bit. So far Russia played its hand excellent , sure there are always consequences only an idiot would think such actions would not bring a reaction , Russia was obviously prepared to take that bet.

Those of you who keeps saying Russia wants to go back to Soviet Union, simply do not understand Russian mentally at all, but somehow all of you are experts in the area.

originally posted by: Laxus

originally posted by: MrSpad Then again Russia has made series of missteps with the idea that the West was weak.

I could take that comment and put it exactly the opposite way. It is the west that thought Russia was weak and tested grounds in Georgia with the mentally unstable Sakashvilli going for a land grab. It is the west that made series of missteps in Ukraine and financed the revolution only to see Russia expanded into a bigger country. It is the same West is powerless to revert the situation now. Sure there are sanctions , but that has not changed Russian policy one bit. So far Russia played its hand excellent , sure there are always consequences only an idiot would think such actions would not bring a reaction , Russia was obviously prepared to take that bet.

Those of you who keeps saying Russia wants to go back to Soviet Union, simply do not understand Russian mentally at all, but somehow all of you are experts in the area.

If the West wanted Georgia to go retake its occupied territory it would have backed by Turkey and NATO. If the West really has some plot to take Ukraine, NATO forces would have been in Ukraine and Ukraine's NATO membership announced day 1. The West does not have to do anything now to "revert" the situation. It can sit a watch Russia try and maintain a long protracted war in eastern Ukraine. Try and resist China's moves in the east. Try and stop Belarus from running away. Try and stop NATO from expanding. Try and stop NATO from moving forces in to secure its eastern members. Try and stop its own economic collapse. Try and stop the West from arming Ukraine if it so wishes. Try and stop the West from placing more sanctions if it wishes. The West has wide latitude to do as it pleases. And Russia can not do anything about it. If the time comes the West wants to play hard ball with Russia then it will be a bad day for Russia.

If you think Russia played its hand expecting that the Ruble would be worthless, that it would have a junk credit rating, that it would be having problems maintaining the manpower for fighting in the Eastern Ukraine, that its biggest arms markets would start moving to west, that China would not only not support it but, make a grab for the Eastern Republics stealing away trade from Russia, that would unite the EU and NATO in way it had not been in decades, that its closest friend Belarus would be so disgusted by Russia actions in Ukraine that it to wants to join the west, that it would have to put price controls on food, and that its economy would be revealed as being so weak that just small scale sanctions have left it in near disaster. You think that this is what Russia thought would happen? And they were like sure this sounds like a good deal? I think your fooling yourself if you think Putin had and idea how weak his economy and military were and that the West would react at all.

a reply to: gatorboi117

Can you post your source material please I have read a ton posts on here and no one is posting links to source material ......

a reply to: Doukhobor999

Nvm sorry wrong reply I'm still getting used to the forums here. I did hear the same on the bbc.
The forum topic I was trying to reply to was one saying because of this the Kremlin are saying any stationing of us troops on russian borders will be responded with military aggression. My bad,

Yeah wow .... uh jeez I mean I'm an optimist and supporter of the U.S. and Nato and my brother is currently stationed over seas with the Canadian Army .... but this really seems like we're making a mistake here .. it's very concerning.