SZCZECIN, poland — NATO’s new rapid-reaction “spearhead” force, meant as a deterrent to Russian aggression, should be up and running with initial capabilities in less than a year, a top alliance official said Thursday.
The creation of a response force of 4,000 to 5,000 service members, which will be able to respond to a crisis in eastern Europe within two to three days, was a key decision taken by NATO leaders this month. The force represents a calculation by NATO that Russian President Vladimir Putin won’t risk going head-to-head with the Western alliance.
Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow, the highest-ranking U.S. civilian at NATO, said on the sidelines of a symposium in Poland that military planners were “working seven days a week” to finalize details of the force. Those details should be approved by defense ministers at a meeting in February, he said.
