ARE THE DEFENSE DIGITAL CAPABILITIES
WE NEED ACROSS WESTERN MILITARIES
AT RISK OF BEING 'JAM TOMORROW'?
T
here is a clear link between Russia's in-
vasion of Ukraine, an act that has trans-
formed Europe's security architecture, and
the urgency with which we should be em-
bracing new technologies and building our
digital armies.
How things change. The NATO Strategic Concept is
a key document for the Alliance. It reaffirms NATO's
values and purpose, and provides a collective assessment
of the security environment. It also drives NATO's
strategic adaptation and guides its future political and
military development. In the 2010 Strategic Concept
we assumed Russia would be a strategic partner, and
that the Alliance would have 18-24 months warning
time for a conventional attack. The Russian annexation
of Crimea in 2014 was a wake-up call. Allies realised
that attack scenarios were closer to 24 hours than 24
months. They accepted that Russia was not a partner,
but a strategic competitor and clear threat. NATO
adapted slowly, with a range of measures to modernise,
reassure and re-focus the Alliance back to the challenges
of Collective Defense. Ukraine is a second wake-up call,
a reminder that there is no room for political compla-
cency ('the curse of our forces and the killer of our men'
to quote MG Francis Tuker Commanding 4th Indian
Division 1941-44) when it comes to implementing our
response.
What response? NATO Leaders have already ap-
proved a new, single, strategic scale Concept for the
Deterrence and Defense of the Euro-Atlantic Area. It is
based on a simple insight: that if you are to deter, you
must demonstrate an unambiguous ability to defend,
and defense relies on controlling multiple geographic
areas and multiple domains of warfare simultaneously.
We still need men and women with fighting spirit to
close with and engage the enemy, and to hold ground
including (lesson re-learnt from Ukraine) urban areas,
but the pace of technological advancement remains the
major driver for change.
BY GENERAL SIR JAMES EVERARD KCB CBE,
Former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe, NATO; Advisor, WithYouWithMe
DIGITAL CAPABILITIES
www.vanguardcanada.com APRIL/MAY 2022 37
