Norway believes NATO has two to three years to prepare for possible conflict with Russia
The Commander-in-Chief of the Norwegian Armed Forces, General Eirik Kristoffersen, believes that the Alliance's "window" for preparing for a possible confrontation with Russia has decreased to two or three years, he said in an interview with Bloomberg.
The general noted that this is a shorter period of time than some Western officials estimated during NATO discussions on Russia's military build-up and its ability to restore forces.
"At one point someone said it’ll take 10 years but I think we’re back to less than 10 years because of the industrial base that is now running in Russia. It will take some time, which gives us a window now for the next two to three years to rebuild our forces, to rebuild our stocks at the same times as we are supporting Ukraine," Kristoffersen stressed.
Norway's parliament is set to approve a plan to nearly double defense spending over the next 12 years. Emphasis will be placed on the capabilities of the naval forces and air defense.
Norway aims to meet its NATO spending target of 2% of gross domestic product as early as 2024, while the country is expected to reach 2.7% of GDP by 2030, Bloomberg writes.
"I see a window now where we can meet the requirements that NATO has agreed on, new command structure, new force structures, the new regional plans. So we can fulfill those plans and those decisions with content in the next years but we need to speed up. We need to do it in two to three years to make sure that we are ready for whatever might happen," the general said.
On March 26, the Spanish foreign minister stated that neither the EU, nor NATO, nor his country are preparing for war on their territories, despite the possible threat from Russia.
On April 11, Finnish President Alexander Stubb said that NATO countries should be less "belligerent" in their rhetoric against Russia and instead prepare their armed forces for a potential conflict.
On May 11, Alliance Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană said that Russia has neither the intention nor the ability to militarily attack any NATO country.
