The new NATO Force Model: ready for launch?

NDC Outlook 04-2024: The new NATO Force Model: ready for launch?, by John R. Deni¹

NATO Allies are in the process of a dramatic change to the Alliance’s force structure, which will see the NATO Response Force (NRF) replaced with a three tiered structure of Allied forces, to include an Allied Reaction Force (ARF), all of which is designed to better defend and deter. This new NATO Force Model faces a variety of challenges. To avoid the potential pitfalls and ensure the Alliance fulfils its own vision, NATO and its member nations ought to consider an array of mitigating steps, such as using snap exercises and inspection visits to ensure forces are indeed manned, trained and equipped, and emphasizing mass and capacity in Allied acquisition plans and capability targets.

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1. Research Professor, Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College and NATO Defense College Non-Resident Associate Fellow ↩︎