By: Ben Mixon
After emerging from a summit that took place on Thursday and Friday in Wales, the 28 nation alliance has announced a rapid reaction force plan in response to the crisis in Ukraine.
Referred to as “Spearhead”, the new plan is meant to increase the speed of which NATO allies can react to a crisis.
According to President Obama, a large portion of the 1 billion being dropped will go towards implementing certain aspects of the rapid response plan, such as increased rotation of personnel in areas like the Baltic States and the Black Sea, as well as increased air policing in those areas.
Referring to the response plan already in effect by NATO in the areas surrounding Russia and the Ukraine, Obama explains that the new plan “allows us to supplement it, it allows us to coordinate it, and integrate it further with additional contributions from other partners.”
In the Wales press conference which took place this morning, President Obama also stated that the purpose of the readiness action plan is to make clear to Russia that the alliance is solid in it’s commitments and will not waver. He states, “An increased presence serves as the most effective deterrent to any additional Russian aggression we might see.”
Obama addresses some other issues in the full press conference video from Wales, which you can watch here:
