NATO set to revamp command structure to counter Russia 'threat'

NATO is set to create two new command centres including one protecting Atlantic shipping lanes, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday, as it revamps its structures to better counter the perceived threat posed by Russia.

The alliance has stripped back its command structure since the end of the Cold War, leading to fears that it would be ill equipped to respond to an attack on its eastern flank from an increasingly assertive Russia.

Defence ministers from the 29 NATO countries meeting in Brussels this week are expected to agree the outlines of the new measures, which also include a new European logistics command.

Stoltenberg said NATO's command structure, pared back over recent decades in the name of efficiency and cost savings, was the "backbone of the alliance" but needed updating.

"This will include: a new command to help protect sea lines of communication between North America and Europe," Stoltenberg said.

"And another command to improve the movement of troops and equipment within Europe. Our ability to move forces is essential to deterrence and collective defence," he said.

At the end of the Cold War, NATO had some 22,000 personnel in 32 commands, but the alliance now has just 7,000 personnel in seven structures.

An internal NATO report cited by German magazine Der Spiegel last month highlighted the reduced command structure as a key factor in undermining the alliance's capabilities.

Concerns have also been raised about NATO's ability to move troops and equipment rapidly around mainland Europe, especially after Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 raised fears among eastern members.

Stoltenberg said the new logistics command would improve the movement of troops and equipment within Europe but warned that civilian government cooperation was needed to overcome administrative hurdles such as customs rules.

"This is not only about commands," he said. 

"We also need to ensure that roads and bridges are strong enough to take our largest vehicles, and that rail networks are equipped for the rapid deployment of tanks and heavy equipment."