NATO plans to significantly increase stockpiles of weapons and ammunition along its eastern flank and establish a new defensive zone using robotic and automated technology, according to a senior NATO officer.
The measures are aimed at strengthening deterrence against Russia, Brigadier General Thomas Löwin told the German newspaper Die Welt.
Under a new multi-layered defensive concept, NATO would seek to slow down or halt an attacker at an early stage by using high-tech systems.
Along the alliance’s borders with Russia and Belarus, a zone would be created that would rely heavily on surveillance, as well as remotely controlled or semi-autonomous systems, which an adversary would first have to neutralize before advancing further.
Löwin, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations at NATO’s Land Component Command in Izmir, told the newspaper that surveillance along the eastern flank would rely on systems collecting data on the ground, in the air, in space, and in the digital domain.
The information would be made available to NATO allies in real time, he said. Fixed and mobile systems such as radar, acoustic and optical sensors could be used, alongside data from satellites, drones, and reconnaissance aircraft.
Directly along the borders, NATO plans to establish what Löwin described as a “hot zone,” designed to halt or slow down an attacker at an early stage. The area could include armed drones, semi-autonomous combat vehicles, robotic systems, and automated air defense capabilities.
However, Löwin emphasized that decisions on the use of force will always remain in human hands, in line with rules of engagement and ethical standards.
