Statements by Admiral Rob Bauer, chairman of the NATO Military Committee, have set off a firestorm in Moscow. In remarks made to the European Policy Center, Bauer said that NATO is now changing from a defensive alliance, and must be prepared to “attack the archer” and not just the arrows – meaning attack deep into Russia.
“I’m very happy that we have now changed this attitude from — I mean, the idea was we’re a defensive alliance, so we will only sit & wait until we’re attacked. And then when we’re attacked, we will be able to shoot down the arrows that come to us. But it’s smarter, not only to do that, but also to attack the archer that is in Russia,” Bauer told the forum.
