– We are not seeking war. But we must be prepared for war, says Bauer.
In the past two days, he held meetings with defense ministers of NATO countries in Brussels.
The meeting was also attended by the Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces, General Mikael Bedén, who recently stated that everyone must prepare for war until it becomes a real possibility. The background is the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
– The Swedish Defense Minister said: – We must understand how serious this situation really is, and that you must prepare mentally on an individual level.
The grim news caused Swedes to leave their homes and stock up on water, food and battery-powered radios.
– Collective defense includes everyone
Now Biden is getting support from the highest levels of NATO.
– He's absolutely right, and I've said similar things myself. Power said in a press conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Thursday that the war is not limited to the army only.
– He says: – More people need to understand this.
Power, who chairs NATO's Military Committee, notes that NATO has moved from strategic operations to a full commitment to collective defence.
He adds that collective defense means involving everyone.
– Collective defense means the necessity of the participation of the entire society, whether we like it or not. Industry, the private sector and the population are part of the solution. We must be able to turn around quickly if something happens. We must be able to mobilize both peoples and be able to produce new weapons quickly, Bauer said
It still exists in Ukraine
As for the war between Russia and Ukraine, it has gone through a phase in which it is not moving much, as the NATO summit says.
We shouldn't expect a miracle on either side, Bauer says.
There have been only a few major moves in the war recently. However, Russia announced on Thursday that it had captured a small village in eastern Ukraine. For its part, Ukraine claims to have carried out a drone attack on a Russian oil depot in northern Russia.
The statement comes on the same day that Ukraine said its army was facing a severe ammunition shortage.
– Defense Minister Rustam Omerov said that the ammunition shortage is a real and very urgent problem that our forces are currently facing.
– There is no alternative
The European Union promised Ukraine one million artillery shells by March, but has so far been able to deliver on just under half of the promise.
On Thursday, the German parliament, the Bundestag, also rejected sending long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine.
For his part, Power stresses the importance of maintaining support for Ukraine.
– We must continue to support Ukraine. This is the most important thing. If Russia withdraws tomorrow, the war will be over. If Ukraine lays down its weapons, their country will be lost. He says they have no alternative.
A huge new exercise to deter Russia
Next week also sees the start of the largest NATO-led military exercise in a long time.
The Steadfast Defender exercise includes 90,000 soldiers, who will train in a scenario in which Russia carries out an attack on a NATO country, triggering Article 5 of the NATO Treaty.
The goal is to deter Russia.
The maneuvers include land, sea and air forces, and according to the German news agency, they are the largest that the defense alliance has planned since the end of the Cold War.
The maneuvers begin next week and continue until the end of May, preferably in Germany, Poland and the Baltic countries. Swedish forces will also participate in the exercises.
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