NATO countries will not be able to deploy more than 300,000 troops in case of a conflict, experts warn
NATO countries in Europe are reportedly facing a shortage of military personnel and would have difficulty mobilizing a significant number of troops in case of a conflict, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.
According to the outlet’s analysts, Western European members of the US-led military bloc are said to have 1.9 million troops “on paper.” In reality, however, they would face challenges deploying more than 300,000 people – and even this would require months of preparation.
Former NATO Assistant Secretary-General Camilla Grand explained that the bloc’s members have never had to consider mass deployment of their forces and that European defense planning has for many years been limited to matters such as supplying “300 special forces for Afghanistan.”
“That’s created gaps,” Grand said, adding that the bloc has seen “a shrinking in forces all over the continent year after year.”