The exercise Crystal Arrow 2023 was the NATO Combat Readiness Evaluation (CREVAL) for the multinational battlegroup in Latvia and assessed the combat ability and integration into the Latvian Mechanized Infantry Brigade. The exercise ran from 20 to 31 March 2023. Credit: NATO Flickr
Almost a year after Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine, NATO is reconsidering its approach to deterring the primary continental aggressor. The concept of deterrence by retaliation is being replaced by another concept – deterrence by denial.
The previous concept stipulated that in the event of a Russian invasion, the member states of the North Atlantic Alliance had to hold out until allied forces arrived to help them and retaliate to push the aggressor back.
However, after Russia’s war crimes in the occupied territories of Ukraine, Eastern European countries are no longer ready to consider any Russian occupation of their territories as part of a deterrence strategy. So now the Alliance is changing its defense strategy and planning to further strengthen its eastern borders.
How will this affect NATO’s position, Moscow’s appetites, and Ukraine’s strategic role?