Top NATO official Adm. Rob Bauer warned Thursday that a larger war with Russia and other adversaries is a real threat amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Bauer, chair of the Western security alliance’s Military Committee, said “not everything is going to be hunky dory in the next 20 years.”
“I’m not saying it is going wrong tomorrow, but we have to realize it’s not a given that we are in peace,” he said at a press conference in Brussels. “That’s why we have the plans, that’s why we are preparing for conflict with Russia and the terror groups if it comes to it.”
Bauer emphasized the security alliance is defensive and does not seek conflict or a wider war.
“But if they attack us, we have to be ready,” he added.
Bauer gave the dire warning as NATO announced large-scale exercises next week involving all 31 alliance members, as well as candidate nation Sweden.
The military drills, which run until May and are the largest since the end of the Cold War, will involve 90,000 troops and numerous vehicles, aircraft and ships spread across Europe.
When announcing the drills, NATO leaders emphasized this week that it was vital to prepare for conflict and maintain readiness, even as the alliance remains defensive by nature.
The U.S. is aiding two wars in Israel and Ukraine in one of the most volatile global security challenges it has faced in years.
Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine has sparked concerns that a Russian victory could pave the way for subsequent attack on NATO countries, while the Biden administration is fending off attacks from Iranian-backed groups across the Middle East as Washington seeks to contain a wider regional war from spilling out.
Bauer said the Western world needs to prepare for a potential larger war, saying such an effort would involve a “whole of society” approach if the war ever came.
“You have to think about this,” he said. “We’re not seeking war as NATO, but we have to be ready for war. That is our job.”