[Epoch Times, February 26, 2022](Epoch Times reporter Xia Yu comprehensive report) Russia began its invasion of Ukraine on Thursday as a defensive measure against continued Russian incursions into Ukraine, Friday (February 25) , NATO declared,NATO Response Force(NATO Response Force) is activated for the first time ever.
NATO Supreme Allied Commander General Tod Wolters has activated a multinational force of allied land, air, naval and special operations forces that can be rapidly deployed to support NATO members.
NATO Response ForceIt is a rapid reaction force under the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, including the army, land and air forces and special forces. Established in 2003, the force also includes the First Standing NATO Maritime Group.
The activation of the Response Force does not mean that any U.S. or NATO forces will enter Ukraine, which is not a member of the coalition. U.S. President Joe Biden has made it clear that U.S. troops are being deployed in Eastern Europe to help support NATO countries nervous about a Russian invasion, but that U.S. troops will not be fighting in Ukraine.
Activation of the reaction force is a ‘historic moment’
In a statement, Walters called the activation of the response force a “historic moment.”
“They represent a nimble, reliable combat force that can be used in a variety of ways, and we’re taking full advantage of their inherent agility,” he added.
“These deterrents are prudent and increase our speed, responsiveness and (other) ability to protect the billion people we are sworn to protect (NATO) citizens,” Walters said.
The NATO response force has not yet been deployed, but is on standby.
Earlier on Friday, air raid sirens had been sounded in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, less than 50 miles from the border with NATO member Poland, CNN reported.
The United States announced Thursday that it will deploy 7,000 U.S. troops to Europe. President Biden said he had authorized “the deployment of ground and air forces already stationed in Europe to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Romania”. He also said he had authorized the dispatch of “additional American troops” to Germany as part of the NATO response, including some that were on standby a few weeks ago.
NATO Secretary General: Protect every inch of NATO’s territory
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Friday that the alliance would “do everything in its power” to defend all allies, including Ukraine, and to protect “every inch of NATO territory.” He also confirmed that the NATO Response Force had been activated for the first time in response to Russia’s continued incursion into Ukraine.
“This goes well beyond Ukraine – it’s about how Russia actually challenges our core values of security, (Russia) and demands that NATO withdraw all troops and infrastructure from nearly half of our member states,” Stoltenberg said. .”
“We have to take this seriously, which is why we are now deploying a NATO response force in the context of collective defense for the first time,” he added.
Stoltenberg clarified at a press conference after a rare NATO summit of heads of state and government in Brussels that while the United States, Canada and European allies have “deployed thousands of soldiers” to NATO’s east, NATO has not Deploy the entire response force force.
“We have more than 100 jets on high alert, over 30 different locations and over 120 ships, operating from the northern Highlands to the Mediterranean,” Stoltenberg said.
“We launched our defense plan yesterday and are now deploying members of this force,” he said.
According to Stoltenberg, the size of the NATO contingency force “has tripled since 2014 to around 40,000”.
“I’m not saying we’re deploying the whole thing, I’m saying we’re deploying (individual) units,” he reiterated.
NATO chief urges Russia to stop attacking Ukraine
Stoltenberg again urged Russia to stop attacks on Ukraine at a news conference. “We call on Russia to stop this senseless war, stop the attack immediately, withdraw all troops from Ukraine, return to the path of dialogue and stay away from aggression,” he said.
He added that Russia’s targeting was not limited to Ukraine, and warned that NATO was facing a new normal for European security.
“Russia is demanding a legally binding agreement for NATO to forgo further expansion and for NATO to withdraw its troops and infrastructure from allies it has joined since 1997,” he added.
Stoltenberg also warned that “the world will hold Russia and Belarus accountable for their actions – Russia is the aggressor, Belarus is the enabler.”
Responsible editor: Li Yuan#