NATO summit to boost defences

NATO looks set to agree to the most significant overhaul of its defences since the Cold War, including a seven-fold expansion of its 40,000-strong response force to a new Allied Reaction Force


NATO members

NORWAY
SWEDEN
DENMARK
GERMANY
FRANCE
ITALY
Baltic Sea
Kaliningrad
Suwalki Gap
POLAND 
SLOVAKIA
CZECH REP.
AUSTRIA
HUNGARY
FINLAND
ESTONIA 
LATVIA 
LITHUANIA
BELARUS
UKRAINE
ROMANIA
RUSSIA 
Moscow
Donbas region
CRIMEA Annexed in 2014
Black Sea

250km 400 miles

May 18: Sweden and Finland apply to join NATO


Issues on NATO’s agenda at summit in Spain

Battlegroups: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (right) to strengthen battlegroups up to brigade level – from about 1,000 troops to between 3,000 and 5,000

Allied Reaction Force: Plan to boost NATO Response Force – deployed for first time following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – to more than 300,000 military personnel

Kaliningrad: Russia’s military presence in its westernmost region includes nuclear-capable Iskander missiles, HQ of Baltic fleet and tens of thousands of troops

Suwalki Gap: Russia has threatened retaliation for EU sanctions blocking transit of goods to Kaliningrad from Belarus. Kremlin could seize 65km-wide choke point


Sources: Associated Press, NATO, Stars and Stripes 
Picture: Getty Images 
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