By Zhao Junjie
NATO has just concluded its defense chiefs meeting on January 18 and will soon commence its largest-scale military exercise since the end of the Cold War, codenamed "Steadfast Defender 2024." This exercise has garnered significant attention due to its extensive scale and prolonged duration. In the crucial phase of the strategic deadlock between Ruusia and Ukraine, organizing a grand joint military exercise will undoubtedly invoke distinct psychological shocks onthe two warring parties.
The strategic goals of economic sanctions and political containment against Russia in the previous stage were not achieved. Far from being defeated, Russia may register a GDP growth of 3.5% last year, surpassing Germany as Europe's largest economy in terms of purchasing power parity. Therefore, the US may seek to change its strategy, exaggerating the "Russia threat theory," and attempting to enhance NATO's anti-Russian function and improve NATO's conventional combat coordination.
Meanwhile, the US has a systematic plan for the specific implementation methods and tools of "Steadfast Defender 2024." Firstly, the regional defense plan adopted at the 2023 NATO Vilnius Summit changed its traditional approach, shifting from localized defense to comprehensive proactive defense, to actively attack and deter Russia. Secondly, efforts have been made to enhance the joint anti-Russia capabilities of the transatlantic alliance. Organizing military exercises similar to "Steadfast Defender 2024" serves as a significant means to improve the cooperative operational capabilities of European NATO members. Thirdly, since the Russia-Ukraine conflict, taking advantage of Eastern European countries' concerns about Russia, NATO has deployed rapid reaction forces in Poland and other countries and strengthened defense against Russia in the Baltic Sea and Northern Europe. Finland's opening of military bases to the US after its accession to NATO is a crucial step in creating a united front against Russia. Additionally, the UK, a leading Western power, has signed a ten-year security treaty with Ukraine, providing reassurance to the Ukrainian government and highlighting the determination of the Western bloc to unite against Russia.
Such a large-scale military exercise naturally attracts the attention of internationalcommunity. What is more noteworthy is that the UK government will send 20,000 soldiers to participate in the exercise, including 16,000 troops from the ground forces, 2,000 from the navy, eight warships, and an aircraft carrier strike group. As a declining empire, the UK strategizes a massive intervention that will enhance its military presence in Europe, align with the US' strategy of weakening Russia, and endorse its own rearmament efforts.
Taking advantage of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and using NATO to control European security affairs, the US-UK joint efforts to promote military exercises with great fanfare aim to further weaken Russia's conventional military forces and accelerate the construction of a Western strategic encirclement against Russia.
The strategic intention of the US to use NATO to contain and resist Russia is very clear, and NATO's implementation of an active regional defense plan also has a significant impact on security in the "Indo-Pacific region". In recent years, the US government has not only orchestrated numerous NATO military exercises in Europe but has also expedited the formation of a "mini NATO" alliance in the "Indo-Pacific region". The US formed a military alliance with the UK and Australia and permitted Japan and South Korea to join the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence (CCDCOE). The true intention of the US is laid bare for all to see.
(The author is a researcher at the Institute of European Studies of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.)
Editor's note: Originally published on huanqiu.com, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.
