'Hybrid' threats and NATO's Forward Presence; by Martin Zapfe from Center for Security Studies at ETH Zürich
At the Warsaw Summit, NATO decided to deploy troops in the Baltic states and Poland. That represents a critical step in enhancing the conventional defence posture of NATO. However, it does not necessarily improve the Alliance's operational and tactical posture with regard to sub-conventional threats.
It is necessary to count with possible incidents that could happen when thousands of troops stay in the foreign countries for a longer period of time. These might include accidents with civilian traffic or crimes, which even if only based on rumors might be easily be exploited by Russian propaganda efforts. The troops could face civilian demonstrations within the Russian-speaking minorities. They could also become targets of organized violence and terror campaigns.
In order to at least try to prevent the abuse of such incident by the Russian disinformation campaign, NATO member states have to agree that the battalions’ deployment should be treated as an operation in all but title and tackle the thorny legal problems that open up immediately. The countries which contribute to the battalions will have to harmonize their Rules of Engagement and minimize national caveats. NATO should also develop contingency plans for sub-conventional scenarios.
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