NATO Must Modernize as Russia Adapts to War, Pentagon Spokeswoman

NATO must modernize due to Russia's adaptation to war, says Pentagon spokeswoman Yaroslav Pogonchuk

Russia's adaptation requires NATO to accelerate the modernization of the defense-industrial sector/Collage by Channel 24

Russia is actively learning and adapting to the military conditions and challenges it faces on the battlefield. Therefore, NATO countries need to quickly modernize their defense industrial base.

US Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Celeste Wallander added that sanctions have failed to destroy the Russian economy. This is reported by Ukrinform.

Why NATO urgently needs to modernize

We see Russia learning and adapting while fighting against Ukraine… The Russian armed forces are indeed capable of adapting to the challenges that Russia faces while fighting the incredibly motivated, capable and modern Ukrainian armed forces, Wallander said.

She stressed that despite the sanctions, the Russian economy has not collapsed and the Russian defense industry continues to produce the necessary products. As Austin's assistant noted, although the production does not reach the Soviet level, it is quite sufficient to maintain and restore the military capacity of the aggressor country.

According to Wallander, given these events, the allies should “take a serious approach to expanding and modernizing their defense industrial base, not just to produce more, but also in a shorter time frame.”

NATO countries must be able to replenish their stockpiles and adapt their defense industry to modern conditions, the US Assistant Secretary of Defense noted.

Wallander believes that the defense spending target of 2% of GDP established in the alliance countries is minimal, and not maximum.

“We actually need to spend more than 2% to fully meet our defense needs,” the Pentagon spokeswoman noted.

She also emphasized that strengthening the defense industrial base “is the real next challenge that NATO must be prepared to address.”