BRUSSELS — NATO defense ministers met on Thursday to sign off on a network of command centers in eastern Europe to rapidly reinforce the region in the event of any threat from Russia, as well as a bigger rapid reaction force and two new regional headquarters.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the measures,
part of the alliance’s response to Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea, amounted to “the biggest reinforcement of our collective defense” since the end of the Cold War 25 years ago.
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Ministers also discussed growing concerns within NATO about Russia’s nuclear strategy and indications that Russian military planners may be lowering the threshold for using atomic weapons in any conflict, diplomats said.
(Additional reporting by Tom Koerkemeier in Brussels and Gabriela Baczynska in Moscow; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
