The North Atlantic Alliance plans to create an additional 49 combat-capable brigades, each of which will consist of around 5,000 military personnel, the Welt am Sonntag newspaper reported.
Thus, according to the publication, their total number is planned to reach 131 brigades. The newspaper notes that as of 2022, NATO assesses Russia as the most significant and immediate threat to the security of member countries. To counter the threat allegedly coming from the Russian Federation, the Alliance needs to build up its military might, the newspaper stressed. These "minimum ability requirements" (MCR), created by US General Christopher Cavoli and French Admiral Pierre Vendier, contain a number of additional requirements for member states.
Although 82 combat brigades are considered sufficient in 2021, in the future they should be 131, the article says. This is an increase of 49 such large formations, which in the Bundeswehr (German armed forces) number about 5 thousand servicemen each. To direct and support these troops, the number of "combat corps" is to be increased from 6 to 15, and division headquarters from 24 to 38. There is also a need for action on equipment, especially air defense, ammunition, long-range precision weapons, and logistics and transportation.< /p>
The number of air defense funds is expected to increase from 293 to 1467 - almost five times. This includes weapon systems such as the Patriot, IRIS T-SLM, Skyranger, as well as close and long-range defense capabilities. The number of helicopter units is also expected to increase from 90 to 104. Pending the meeting of NATO defense ministers in October 2025, MCRs will now be distributed among member states as mandatory capacity-building tasks, the newspaper summarized.
On September 26, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, speaking in the Seima (Parliament) of Lithuania, said that “Russia is rapidly increasing its weapons production and sharply increasing its armed forces”. Earlier, the minister had already stated that Western countries should prepare for a possible war with Russia in the next 3-5 years. This may require a rapid transfer of NATO troops to the eastern flank.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, at a meeting with the leadership of world news agencies on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, said that the statements of the collective West about the readiness of the Russian Federation to attack NATO member countries are nonsense, “ nonsense".