NATO's air defence capabilities alarmingly inadequate reveals report
The British daily Financial Times they were revealed on Thursday, referencing internal NATO calculations, that NATO has merely a fraction of the air defence capability needed to protect its eastern flank. "[Air defence] is one of the biggest holes we have," a NATO diplomat revealed.
As we read in "FT", Russia's war against Ukraine has underscored the importance of air defence, as evidenced by Kyiv's requests for additional systems and missiles to protect cities, troops, and the power grid from daily air raids. However, Europe itself is entirely unprepared to defend against air attacks.
According to individuals cited by the newspaper who are familiar with last year's confidential defence plans, NATO countries can provide less than 5 percent of the air defence capability deemed necessary to protect Central and Eastern European member states from a full-scale attack, writes PAP correspondent Bartłomiej Niedziński from London.
NATO assessed defensive capabilities
One high-ranking NATO diplomat stated that the ability to defend against missile and air attacks is "a major part of the plan to defend eastern Europe from invasion," adding, "And right now, we don’t have that."
"FT" writes that some European leaders and military commanders claim that by the end of the decade Russia could be capable of attacking a NATO member state, and its intensive use of missiles, drones, and highly destructive Soviet-era glide bombs in Ukraine has made the rebuilding of NATO's defensive capabilities, after three decades of defence spending cuts, an urgent matter.
"[Air defence] is one of the biggest holes we have. We can’t deny it," said another cited NATO diplomat.
Europe's capabilities are limited
The inability of European NATO countries to supply Ukraine with additional air defence equipment in recent months has shown how limited Europe’s stock of expensive and slow-to-produce air defence systems is.
The concerns are further exacerbated by Russia's use of low-cost long-range drones against Ukraine, notes the British daily.
"Long-range strikes are no longer a superpower capability," said one Western defence official.
NATO invests in air defence
The cited NATO official cautioned that "capability targets and defence plans are classified," but noted that air and missile defence "are top priorities" and that "stockpiles have been reduced."
"Nato’s new defence plans also significantly increase air and missile defence requirements in quantity and readiness", the official said, emphasizing that member states are investing in new air defence capabilities, including fighter jets.
Immediately after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the United States deployed the Patriot air defence system to protect the airport in Rzeszów, a hub through which Western weapons were being sent to Ukraine. However, officials state that NATO members have so few such systems available that their ability to deploy them outside their territory is severely limited.
