NATO Commander Issues Warning Over Growing Threats

NATO lacks the resilience to sustain a prolonged conflict with Russia, a senior Royal Navy admiral has warned, Ryan Prosser reported for Metro UK.

NATO’s maritime strategy identified Russia and terrorism as the alliance’s two greatest threats. (Photo: NATO Facebook)

Mike Utley, a high-ranking maritime commander within the alliance, said the West must be prepared for a range of warfare, from conventional military conflict to cyberattacks.

While NATO has superior capabilities compared with Russia’s military,

Utley cautioned that the alliance may struggle to endure a long-running conflict in its current state.

“But nations have very much recognized that and are prepared to invest in those capability sets to grow our resilience,” he said.

NATO’s maritime strategy, published earlier this year, identified Russia and terrorism as the alliance’s two greatest threats. Utley told Bloomberg he was a “realist,” acknowledging that NATO members cannot devote “every penny” to defense and must make difficult prioritization decisions.

He added that global interdependence on critical assets such as technology and supply chains would further complicate any conflict, noting that the challenge would be markedly different from the Cold War.

“This challenge is going to get more complicated, more persistent and isn’t going to go away,” he said.