Dragone: NATO prepared with troops, weapons and around 4,000 pages of defense plans

Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, NATO’s military chief, said the Alliance is ready to deal with various scenarios, including the possibility of a direct attack against a member state.

Regarding hybrid threats, Cavo Dragone explained that such actions generally take place below the threshold that would automatically require the activation of Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty.

Unlike these threats, he said, a direct strike would create an entirely different situation, immediately putting Article 5, which enshrines the Alliance’s principle of collective defense, on the agenda.

He said NATO has prepared around 4,000 pages of plans for the defense of its eastern flank. The documents cover situations ranging from crises and interventions within the territory of member states to scenarios in which Article 5 would need to be activated.

“NATO is prepared, as is its structure. The troops, weapons and system are ready,” Cavo Dragone said.

The Alliance’s military chief also emphasized the role of deterrence, warning that if they were to launch an attack, NATO’s adversaries would have “far more to lose than to gain.”

In his assessment, one of the main pillars of the deterrence strategy is NATO’s capacity to respond and guarantee the defense of its member states.