NATO plans to significantly increase the capabilities of air defense forces

NATO is asking the bloc's European member states to increase their ground-based air defense capabilities fivefold, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing sources familiar with the matter.

The publication speaks of the Alliance's desire to "fill a key gap in response to the threat of Russian aggression."

Issues related to air defense will be discussed at a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels on June 5. In the meantime, as Bloomberg sources note, discussions are being conducted behind closed doors.

According to NATO’s plan, which was described by the agency’s interlocutors, increasing the potential of air defense systems by five times will be a collective goal for the bloc’s European member countries. Individual levels are expected to vary. No specific time frame for achieving this goal is provided.

This week, NATO defense chiefs are set to approve one of the most ambitious commitments since the Cold War to increase weapons stockpiles as part of European and Canadian efforts to rearm and reduce dependence on US defense systems. The meeting in Brussels on Thursday will lay the groundwork for the NATO summit on June 24-25 in The Hague, Bloomberg writes.