NATO lacks readiness for prolonged war, naval chief warns

NATO forces currently lack the resilience to sustain prolonged conflict, Vice Admiral Mike Utley, head of NATO’s Joint Maritime Command stated. Utley warned that Western militaries must prepare for increasingly complex battlefields, encompassing cyber, hybrid, and conventional threats, Bloomberg reports.

“Have we got the resilience that we would wish to have? I think the commentary over the last 10 months has shown that, no, we haven’t. But nations have very much recognized that and are prepared to invest in those capability sets to grow our resilience,” he said.

Utley acknowledged NATO’s capability advantage over Russia but stressed that maintaining it over extended combat operations remains a challenge. His remarks echo rising concern among European security officials as Moscow intensifies hybrid attacks across the continent.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned last week that “Russia could be ready to use military force against NATO within five years” and stressed that the alliance “must be prepared for the scale of war our grandparents or great-grandparents endured.” Similar alarms have come from British intelligence and military leaders, with MI6 chief Blaise Metreweli noting that Europe operates “in a space between peace and war,” and Chief of the Defence Staff Richard Knighton urging that more Britons be ready to defend their country.

Despite NATO members agreeing—except Spain—to spend at least 3.5% of GDP on core defence programs by 2035, actual allocations have lagged. The UK, for instance, has delayed publishing its defence investment plan until next year. Utley emphasized that defence spending requires careful prioritization: “I am a realist — money is difficult and there are lots of competing priorities for all our allies on how they spend their taxpayers’ money… It’s about prioritization.” 

Several NATO states, including Estonia, Lithuania, and Poland, plan to exceed 5% of GDP on defence next year. EU Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius cited German intelligence suggesting Kremlin discussions of a potential attack on NATO, with ISW noting Russia has intensified information and psychological campaigns, potentially including false-flag provocations.

While Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo warned that Russian forces could redeploy to NATO’s eastern flank if a Ukraine peace agreement is reached, President Vladimir Putin dismissed claims of any NATO attack plan as “nonsense.”

By Vafa Guliyeva