Yesterday, Germany’s Die Welt claimed it gained access to a NATO document from inside the German Defense Ministry which “shows the increase in military capabilities that NATO commanders consider necessary.” Titled “Military Capabilities Requirements,” the document had been approved earlier this year by Gen. Christopher Cavoli and French Adm. Pierre Vandier, NATO’s two top military commanders. According to Die Welt, the document calls for an increase in NATO ground combat forces from 82 brigades to 131, an increase of 49 brigades. This translates into an increase of some 200-250,000 in troops. To lead and support these troops, the number of “warfighting corps” is to increase from 6 to 15, and division headquarters from 24 to 38. It also calls for substantial increases in air defense and helicopter units.
The document is part of NATO’s shifting orientation to prepare for a supposed long-term war with Russia, and aims to make NATO able to defend “every centimeter” of its territory for a future conflict with Moscow.
German military planners assume that the Bundeswehr will have to provide “five to six additional combat troop brigades,” as well as the staff of an “additional warfighting corps” and another helicopter unit. The Bundeswehr currently has eight brigades, a ninth is being set up, and a tenth is planned for 2031.
