The fighting in Georgia, which alongside Ukraine, has been accepted as a future Nato member, raised the stakes for advocates of expansion Photo: AFP/GETTY (Image courtesy The Telegraph)Nato Commanders To Draw Up Plans To Defend Ex-Soviet Bloc Members From Russia -- The Telegraph
Nato's top military commander has demanded the authority to draw up detailed military plans to defend former Soviet bloc members for the first time since the alliance expanded eastward.
Russia's offensive in Georgia in August exposed the dangers of the Western alliance's lack of contingency plans against an invasion on its eastern flanks.
Political leaders from the Baltics and Eastern Europe have subsequently demanded that Nato fulfil the requirements implied by its "Chapter 5" commitment to defend the territorial integrity of all its members.
General James Craddock, Nato's Supreme Commander, has asked for the political authority to draw up contingency defence plans at a Nato meeting in Budapest later this week.
France and Germany have signalled opposition to the move but Gen Craddock has the strong backing of American and Britain.
But even US officials acknowledge there is a risk that the move will cause a rift within Nato. "This becomes politicised very quickly," a Pentagon official said.
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My Comment: NATO is fracturing. A number of states have no interest in going to war to protect the independence of other states. The results that will come from these public differences is that Russia is watching .... and I expect it will be testing NATO resolve and commitment very soon.