First off, it wouldn’t be NATO fighting Russia, the danger is China. Second, it’s strange that Politico didn’t do this after the Ukraine war started
5 ways the Iran war shows NATO is not ready to fight Russia
NATO has stayed out of the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran, but the conflict has nevertheless exposed cracks in the alliance’s defenses that would see it struggle if Russia attacks.
“The wars in Ukraine and the Middle East are not separate phenomena; there is much to learn from both in thinking about the wars of tomorrow,” Gen. Dominique Tardif, France’s deputy air force chief, said. “These combined lessons should lead us to a better understanding of how to direct capability development.”
European military officials have warned Moscow could be in a position to attack an alliance member by 2029, highlighting the urgent need for battle readiness and political cohesion across the alliance.
Russia can’t take Ukraine, how are they going to take a NATO nation? Unless Russia goes for obliteration, unlike Ukraine, which they seem to not want to destroy. Kinda worthless taking land that you’ve destroyed
1. Running out of ammo
The Iran war has thrown NATO’s ammunition shortage into sharp relief.The U.S. burned through around half its total inventory of critical Patriot air defense missiles, while French officials warned that stocks of its Aster and Mica missiles were running low as soon as the the first two weeks of the war. Defense firms like Rheinmetall and MBDA have also pointed to surging demand and looming shortages.
The media wasn’t quite so concerned when the US and NATO were depleting everything for Ukraine
Unless NATO changes tack, Russia “will price us out of a war quickly,” warned Calvin Bailey, a lawmaker from Britain’s ruling Labour Party on the U.K. parliament’s defense committee.
With Moscow producing “6,000 to 7,000” one-way attack drones per month, NATO allies would be left without high-value air defense missiles within “weeks,” said Justin Bronk, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute.
There is that. It might be high time to start producing war drones for overseas deployment.
2. Air inferiority
Iran’s ability to continue pummeling neighboring Gulf states with over 5,000 missile and drone attacks despite the U.S. aerial campaign shows the “clear limits to the expectation that you can bomb a country into submission” with conventional aircraft, said Pieter Wezeman, a senior researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.In response, NATO must rethink air dominance and look for creative solutions to deter Russia, like turbocharging investment in long-range precision strike weapons capable of targeting Moscow’s drone production and military sites deep inside the country, said Bronk.
How long can the attacks last when Iran doesn’t have much of an industrial base, and it’s hard to resupply? Still, Russia is not coming after NATO.
3. Underpowered navies
Europe’s limited deployment to help Gulf allies has also illustrated the gaping underinvestment in NATO navies.The clearest example is the U.K. After taking three weeks to deploy its HMS Dragon destroyer toward the Mediterranean, the vessel was sent back to port over a technical hitch.
EU navies are rather woeful, but, they’ve mostly depended on the U.S. for force projection, while their navies are for homeland defense. Except the UK, which used to be strong. Now? Not so much.
4. Enduring disunity
The war has also widened the chasm inside NATO — with Europe snubbing U.S. President Donald Trump’s demands for military support, prompting Washington to draw up options for retaliation.
If the EU wants to support Iran, why should we support most of Europe against the aggression from Russia (which isn’t going to happen) all while Europe buys fossil fuels from Russia.
5. Ukraine matters
Within days of the start of the war in Iran, Ukraine sent its drone experts, well-versed in using homegrown interceptors to shoot down Iranian Shahed-type drones used by Russia, to assist countries across the Middle East. Kyiv eventually signed decade-long defense partnerships with Gulf nations.
Does it really matter? They’re still kidnapping men off the streets, still refusing to allow elections, and the rich are still partying hard with EU and US money, all while the war grinds on and the EU dumps more money and arms into the war.
Mr Teach typed: “The media wasn’t quite so concerned when the US and NATO were depleting everything for Ukraine”
The Mad King has spent more $ (and expended more materiel!) in Iran over 60 days than the U.S. spent on materiel to Ukraine over 4 years.
Of course, the U.S. was able to replenish assets over 4 year interval. Recall King Donny’s braggadocio on rebuilding the military.
For reasons only Donny knows (kompromat!!) had no intention of assisting Ukraine in resisting Putin. Vlad has Donny by the short hairs.
BTW, what is being covered up in the still hidden 3.5 million remaining Epstein files?
LolTeach always thought Russia was going yo win in Ukraine
Mr Teach typed: “How long can the attacks last when Iran doesn’t have much of an industrial base, and it’s hard to resupply?”
1) Mr Teach knows little of Iran’s industrial base.
2) Iran’s top diplomat, foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, is in Russia talking with Putin.
Putin owns Big Donny.