Poland and the Baltic states may be attacked by unpredictable Russia at any moment, so Warsaw should strengthen its military and be prepared to hit the city of Kaliningrad with missiles, as well as be prepared for a guerrilla war and cyber attacks on state-run media outlets.
Photo: AFP Photo/Ceerwan Aziz
The US-based Atlantic Council released the 25-page document, called ‘Arming for Deterrence’ that says what NATO in general and Poland in particular should do to “counter a resurgent Russia.” According to the report, the threat of such an attack is imminent.
“Even if Moscow currently has no immediate intent to challenge NATO directly, this may unexpectedly change overnight and can be implemented with great speed, following already prepared plans. The capability to do so is, to a large extent, in place,” the report stated.
“Russia rarely disguises its true intentions,” the report said. “On the contrary, it has proclaimed them very publicly on various occasions, but, in general, the West has chosen not to believe Russia’s declarations and disregards its willingness to carry them out.”
According to the Atlantic Council, if Russia does invade, Poland as the biggest NATO member close to Russia would be “to delay and bog down an invading force and inflict unacceptable damage on it.”
“[NATO] force [in Poland] is not required to win the war, but it must be able to fight alongside the host-nation forces to buy NATO more time for reinforcement. NATO’s presence in the region is currently not large enough to achieve this,” the document said.
The report said that if Warsaw wishes to be able to deter Russia, the country needs swift reforms, such as strengthening numbers of the Polish military, purchasing new modern weapons, including the US-made JASSM aircraft-launched cruise missiles and the coastal NSM missiles, which could be placed in range of the Russian city of Kaliningrad and hit targets deep inside Russia.
According to the document, more multiple rocket launchers, UAVs, attack helicopters and other weapons should also be procured by Poland. In addition, Polish military should be prepared for a guerrilla war by building a network of shelters in its wooded areas.
“This shelter or bunker network, built with significant redundancies, would facilitate the deployment of ‘stay behind’ units. Poland’s military tradition in forest-based guerrilla warfare dates back to the 1830s. More recently, forest units resisted the Germans and Soviets from 1939 to the 1950s,” the council said.
Moreover, according to the think tank with close ties to NATO, Warsaw should “aim to join the tactical nuclear capability scheme within NATO, so enabling its F-16s to be carriers of tactical nuclear ordnance” and announce targets for potential cyber attacks, “which could include the Moscow metro, the St. Petersburg power network, and Russian state-run media outlets such as RT.”
The country also should “find new incentives for its citizens to remain in Poland rather than emigrate to other EU countries,” the report said and added that “emigration has reduced Poland’s defense capacity by draining people of military age, often with the technical and information technology (IT) skills that Poland’s forces require.”
Poland and the Baltic states are among the ardent supporters of an increased NATO military presence close to the Russian border. According to the block, it is needed to deter alleged Russian aggression. Russia denies having any intent to attack NATO’s members, considers NATO’s military buildup in Europe a threat to its national security, and accuses the West of reneging on a post-Cold War promise not to enlarge the alliance towards Russia’s borders.
Russia spreads its influence (and soldiers) like a cancer (vide Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova-Transnistria) so it seems to be smart move to take appropriate measures in case Russia comes with another “brotherly help” like in 1939.
Georgia – Peacekeepers that were there legitimately gets murdered by Georgia. Provokes war
Moldova-Transnistria – Conflict within the nation that saw people wanting to form their own state, while Moldova moves westwards to a new master.
Ukraine – What a joke. Same as above. This time, majority of the forces are actually men/woman of Ukraine who many of them are veterans already. I would gather to say that majority of Ukrainian troops are becoming less and less Ukrainian.
All the while Serbia was picked apart from the west with no referendum. Might I add same about Cyprus where peacefull loving NATO Turks takes over half the Island and the US just loves it. Israel? Takes Golan Heights no problem and continues its murder against Palestinians.
The world sucks, and Russia is playing the same game. At least they have the support of their people. While Poland is nothing but a cheap whore who provides bj’s:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/22/poland-foreign-minister-alliance-us-worthless
And this is the height of Your military knowledge? Talk about disappointment. Not reading your replies, your level of intelligence insults me.
Very convincing.
If they just insult you, it means they have no coherent arguments against you. Chalk it up as a victory.
Thanks God , it appears you are way gone litle bug from CCCP , what a relief for civilized world ! Do not come back with your cheap lies .stay where you are , soon this so called state of mind or by other people somehow prostitute russia will be fenced and isolated from the healthy nations
The entire post of sepheronx is a joke , it appears as well paid copy writer financed by putin’s troll forces to spread stinky russian pre-war invasion propaganda.Russia always been , is and will be an aggressor and occupant of other countries.Shame on so stupid russian nation .russian-idiots trusting new era hitler/putin leading them into the darkness.In the history only Poland was able to gave lessons to this cheap bustards to teach cave man russions where they shouldnt put they disgasting footwraps along with they poising vodka .
Nice agreement. In your incoherent drivel, you provided no information or facts, just insults. Really boy, I suggest you try harder. Also, please work on your English. It is disgusting (that is how you spell it).
So seeing as you wake up every morning and pledge allegiance to a giant communist flag, drive your volha to the shoe polish / water treatment facility / liquor store, where you work in the basement to gain workers victory, you decide when you get to your home, sorry, shack with internet, that you’re going begin hiding behind your computer screen, under a fasade of ignorance and photos of lenin and stalin kissing on your desktop, while you eat your TV dinners-pig leftovers on a copy of the communist manifesto, and sleep in the filth you have made around yourself AKA Russia, but we all know what you are, a wanna be, you sit in your little chair pretending not to be syrian praying that if you attack another european country that putin will let you suckle on his tit, so that one day you can enslave your own country and continue spreading your brainless , cannon meat people like a disease, so when you grab your kalashnikov and spray down your computer like russia does its own stupid people, just remember you are a bug on a rock in space, and anything you do is a waste of time.
P.S. I left a capitalization error in this paragraph, so that you can find it and have a small victory. Because it seems to me the only way you can have a comeback is to fix someone’s grammar, and by stating “boy” as an insult your your reply it really shows ignorance witch it doesn’t surprise me much in month of homo-sovieticus , now if your political leading officer follow asleep get off your валенки and lose up your портянка trying to do not poising you crappy alcoholic neighbours try to catch some sleep on your big sinking gas station called russia by some people.
I applaud this move, Russia is spreading their influence; it’s only natural that others do too. Thus, balance is retained. Now, the Russian military is a corpse (despite boasting about the 2 Su-35s and single Armata here and there – cause let’s face it, it’s military spending is 1/20th of NATO) compared to what it was during the cold war, but it is still fairly capable. While I applaud its efforts in Syria, it often behaves like a rabid dog in its more direct sphere of influence. RT, southfront and sputnik only go to further magnify that.
ok Mr.CNN thank you for such precise information as always
Yawn.
You knowledge of military is astoundingly bad, especially on procurement. By any chance, are you obtaining your intelligence from Stratfor?
You know nothing about my knowledge, but I do know something about your English, it blows; did I hurt your Russian feelings? Loser troll.
Then get the number of procurement correct.
Thanks God , it appears you are way gone litle bug from CCCP , what a relief for civilized world ! Do not come back with your cheap lies .stay where you are , soon this so called state of mind or by other people somehow prostitute russia will be fenced and isolated from the healthy nations.
Is there one man that really believes that Russia would invade in Poland ? Are we serious ?
They’ve done it on numerous occasions in histories past. They have a tendency to invade other countries, just like USA.
This is true, as regarding the past But nowdays, with Poland being a NATO and EU member, this is not an option for Russia
So then we should fear Germany, too? Or Turkey?
The entire post of sepheronx is a joke , it appears as well paid copy writer financed by putin’s troll forces to spread stinky russian pre-war invasion propaganda.Russia always been , is and will be an aggressor and occupant of other countries.Shame on so stupid russian nation .russian-idiots trusting new era hitler/putin leading them into the darkness.In the history only Poland was able to gave alessons to this cheap bustards to teach cave man russions where they shouldnt put they disgasting footwraps along with they poising vodka
Funny in general Russian don’t start wars but they finish them ! Furthermore there is nothing more dangerous than a pissend off russian mother who lost her Son in a futiele war , putin knows that and he Will not take any risk ! Finally the main source of dollars for Russia is the export of gas to europe , If the Russians would be crazy enough to attack in Ukraine it would be a casus bellie for the west , who would boycot the Russian gas Import , which would wreck the Russian economie , though the west / US and their east european lapdogs, are trying very hard to provoke a full scale russian reaction in the dombass ( team putin is not taking the bait)
From the article … [Poland needs] purchasing new modern weapons, including the US-made JASSM aircraft-launched cruise missiles and the coastal NSM missiles, which could be placed in range of the Russian city of Kaliningrad and hit targets deep inside Russia.
Why is Russia upset over a NATO buildup, I’m certain that if Iran or Russia was supplying weapons to Mexico, Canada, or Cuba, that could ‘hit targets deep inside’ our country we wouldn’t make a big deal about it.
That is such a strawman argument. We’re not talking about American weapons stationed near Russia. We’re talking about Poland, a sovereign democracy, getting the means to defend itself from a large and threatening neighbour that has been beefing up its military and performing massive war games near NATO territory. If Russia can do a huge military buildup in kaliningrad, smack in the middle of NATO territory, why can’t a country like Poland beef up its military in response??
The advice of the Atlantic Council sounds like 2 things to me:
1. An advertisement for US arms manufacturers; and 2. Advice on how Poland can provoke Russia into attacking Poland.
Some decades ago, Polish jokes were popular, making fun of Polish people as stupid. e.g.
How can you tell a Polish airplane? Hair under the wings.
What does it say on the bottom of Polish Coca Cola bottles? “Open other end.”
The advice from the Atlantic Council, that Poland should arm up with nukes to take on Russia, sounds like a new Polish Joke. Sure, Poland can take on Russian forces, “to delay them until reinforcements arrive.” This sounds like “NATO will fight to the last Polish soldier”. By the time the “reinforcements” were ready to enter the fray, all of Poland could already be a smoking ruin with lethal radiation levels everywhere.
And advising Poland to arm itself with missiles that could be used to attack Kaliningrad and reach deep into Russia is the surest way to pin a target on every part of Poland with any military capability.
As for “stay behind units” and Polish guerrilla units fighting German and Russian forces “from 1939 into the 1950s”, how well did that turn out? (not well at all). The Nazis in Germany tried to set up “stay behind units” in Germany in 1945, but also had no significant success with them. Russia, by the way, had considerable success with stay behind units that waged sabotage war against occupying German forces in Russia in 1941-1944.
Poland has a long history of being invaded and subjugated by other European nations, and has even ceased to exist for some periods in European history. This history has left the Poles with a Passive-Aggressive streak a mile wide and pathological suspicion of their neighbors that borders on paranoia (no pun intended). This may help explain why Poland is not noted for skill at diplomatic solutions to existential problems, and has such a long history of being devastated by invasions.
Are the Poles stupid enough to arm up and invite Russia to annihilate them?
Your post it appears as well paid copy writer financed by putin’s troll forces to spread stinky russian pre-war invasion propaganda.Russia always been , is and will be an aggressor and occupant of other countries.Shame on so stupid russian nation .russian-idiots trusting new era hitler/putin leading them into the darkness.In the history only Poland was able to gave alessons to this cheap bustards to teach cave man russions where they shouldnt put they disgasting footwraps along with they poising vodka
Poland should be more cautious. They are allowing themselves to be used by an “empire” with a dark agenda and the might all end up DEAD. Seriously.
I have a suggestion… Why not stop calling this land “Poland” and use “future european dead zone” instead? FEDZ! What’s wrong with that??
The entire post of sepheronx is a joke , it appears as well paid copy writer financed by putin’s troll forces to spread stinky russian pre-war invasion propaganda.Russia always been , is and will be an aggressor and occupant of other countries.Shame on so stupid russian nation .russian-idiots trusting new era hitler/putin leading them into the darkness.In the history only Poland was able to gave alessons to this cheap bustards to teach cave man russions where they shouldnt put they disgasting footwraps along with they poising vodka
Let me give a suggestions a little scumbag from the whore mother russia.Just go there and pledge allegiance to a giant communist flag, drive your volha to the shoe polish / water treatment facility / liquor store, where you work in the basement to gain workers victory, you decide when you get to your home, sorry, shack with internet, that you’re going begin hiding behind your computer screen, under a fasade of ignorance and photos of lenin and stalin kissing on your desktop, while you eat your TV dinners-pig leftovers on a copy of the communist manifesto, and sleep in the filth you have made around yourself AKA Russia, but we all know what you are, a wanna be, you sit in your little chair pretending not to be syrian praying that if you attack another european country that putin will let you suckle on his tit, so that one day you can enslave your own country and continue spreading your brainless , cannon meat people like a disease, so when you grab your kalashnikov and spray down your computer like russia does its own stupid people, just remember you are a bug on a rock in space, and anything you do is a waste of time.
Russia started a heavy armament program some years ago which gives Russia a military advantage compared to Nato.
A drawn out war cannot be won by Russia against Nato as it lacks population and industrial capacity, so in any conflict is must strike first and hard.
Therefore for Nato to build a capacity to resist a Russian first strike is an excellent strategy.
That Russia says it will not strike first is irrelevant. It has built the capacity and might change its mind, so Nato cannot risk it. In truth, this a kind of arms race.
Russia will not invade Poland. Poland, of course neither. So why to modernise army at such high level? Answer is simple. Don’t want to anyone tell us what to do or what to say. Don’t want no fcuks given. Don’t want to be U.S. or UE or Russia or anyone’s bellboy. Never want to listen offensive threats. Never again defeats known from history. Si vis pacem, para bellum!