NATO's proposal of 300,000 force along Russia's borders may prove challenging to fulfill

NATO's ambitious proposal to deploy a 300,000-strong force along Russia's borders may prove to be a challenging test for the alliance's members, as per a report from Politico. The proposed plan of deploying up to 300,000 troops to the border is a task that would require extensive coordination and resources from the 30 member countries.

However, the plan may face obstacles as some allies have expressed concerns about their own ammunition stocks, which would need to be replenished in order to support such a deployment. To address these challenges, NATO military leaders are expected to submit updated regional defence plans. Under the proposed plan, the first echelon of NATO troops would consist of approximately 100,000 soldiers, with readiness to deploy within 10 days. These troops may include those from Poland, Norway, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. The second echelon of troops, comprising soldiers from countries such as Germany, would provide support within 10-30 days.

NATO's challenge

In order to realize its plans on the eastern flanks, NATO faces a daunting challenge of convincing European countries to provide extensive resources such as costly weapons, equipment, ammunition, soldiers, and training efforts. However, due to the limited ammunition supplies of many NATO members, there is a risk that not all allies will be able to meet the requirements. The need to contribute more weapons and troops to NATO's new plans might be hard as many countries are already concerned about their own defense stockpiles.

As Russia's ongoing military operation in Ukraine continues, the Ukrainian forces are rapidly depleting their stockpiles of artillery shells obtained from the West. In response, the US and EU are exploring ways to quickly acquire more weapons to replenish the supplies. However, this procurement challenge poses a potential hurdle to NATO's ambitious plans, according to the recent report.