NATO Needs to Move Two Brigades East, and That’s Just a Start

One of the major problem CPT (Join to see) is that NATO does not "own" troops. There are a certain number of billets, mainly staff positions, that are "peacetime establishment" and some that are "crisis establishment." Neither of those types of billets adds up to a significant amount of personnel or equipment. NATO relies on "voluntary national contributions" of forces and equipment during peacetime and in crisis to operate. NATO is responsible to man and equip a NATO Response Force (NRF) of upwards of 40,000 personnel. These forces are not organic to NATO. They have also developed a Very High Readiness Task Force (VJTF) and serves as the spearhead for the NRF. That force is roughly 5,000 personnel or roughly the equivalent of one of our one of our BCTs. This force is also made up of forces from numerous "contributing nations" across NATO and remain ready to deploy in accordance with their national alert requirements. With nothing organic to NATO except for staff, it makes creating, training, interoperability, and deployment of forces difficult.

(All information here in UNCLASS)

We always seem to be shortsighted. I was stationed in Germany when the Iron Curtain fell apart and we started to deactivate many of the forces in Germany. There was no need to keep two Corps HQs, 6 Divisions, etc., then. However I was surprised how we have kept going over the past few years with our forces down to two BCTs in all of Europe (neither is an ABCT). The timing of our final withdrawal of an ABCT and V Corps HQs with Putin's actions in the Ukraine may only be coincidental but I doubt that.

NATO has been caught sleeping too many times. Of the 28 member alliance only 5 reliably meet defense spending goals. This is not a recipe for success.