NATO is preparing to make major decisions at the summit in Madrid this Wednesday.
"I think the allies will make it clear that they see Russia as the biggest and most direct threat to our security," Norwegian Jens Stoltenberg said during the presentation of the summit's stakes.
Therefore, "we will reinforce our battlegroups in the eastern part of the Alliance, up to brigade level", he also specified.
Eight battlegroups were created.
They are based in Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria.
They will be reinforced by “pre-designated” units in other Alliance countries called upon to intervene in these countries where heavy weapons will have been pre-positioned, he explained.
A minimum of 2% of GDP devoted to defense spending
The Alliance will also "transform its 40,000-soldier Reaction Force", and will increase the number of its high-readiness forces "well above" 300,000 soldiers, he added.
“Together, these measures constitute the biggest overhaul of our collective defense and presence since the Cold War.
And to do that, we need to invest more,” he warned.
Allies have pledged to devote 2% of their GDP to defense spending in 2024, but only nine of the 30 members have reached this target in 2022 (Greece, United States, Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, United Kingdom, Latvia , Croatia and Slovakia).
France is at 1.90%, Italy at 1.54%, Germany at 1.44% and Spain at 1.01%, ahead of Luxembourg (0.58%).
“To respond to the threat, this 2% target becomes a floor, plus a ceiling,” announced Jens Stoltenberg.
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