SZCZECIN, Poland (AP) – NATO’s new rapid-reaction “spearhead” force, meant as a deterrent to Russian aggression, should be up and running with initial capabilities in less than a year, a top alliance official said Thursday.
The creation of a 4,000 to 5,000 troop response force, which will be able to respond to a crisis in eastern Europe within two to three days, was a key decision taken by NATO leaders earlier this month in Wales.
The force represents a calculation by NATO that Russian President Vladimir Putin won’t risk going head-to-head with the Western alliance.
Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow, the highest-ranking U.S. civilian at NATO, told The Associated Press on the sidelines of a symposium in Poland that military planners were now “working seven days a week” to finalize details of the force.
Those details should be in place to be approved by at defense ministers meeting in February, and implementation will move quickly ahead after that, he said.