The commander of the US army in Europe has warned that Nato will have to stay united in the face of a "actual threat" from Russia.
"It is not an assumption. There is a Russian threat," Lt-Gen Frederick "Ben" Hodges said.
"You have got the Russian ambassador threatening that Denmark will be a nuclear target if it participates in any missile defence programme. And when you look at the unsafe way Russian aircraft are flying with no transponders in proximity to civilian aircraft, that is not experienced conduct."
Gen Hodges spoke to the Telegraph on the sidelines of a military debriefing right after an exercise to move reside Patriot missiles 750 miles across Europe by road and deploy them on the outskirts of Warsaw.
The sight of a US military convoy crossing the German-Polish border much more than 20 years after the finish of the Cold War created international headlines and brought site visitors to a standstill as people posed for selfies beside the troops.
The intention of such a hugely visible deployment was to send a signal, Gen Hodges mentioned.
"That's exactly what it was about, reassuring our allies," he stated.
Gen Hodges pointed to recent Russian choices to move Iskandar ballistic missiles to its Kaliningrad enclave, among Lithuania and Poland, and extended-variety nuclear-capable bombers to Crimea.
"I do not believe a military confrontation is inevitable. But you have to be militarily prepared in order to enable efficient diplomacy," he stated.
"The finest insurance we have against a showdown is that Nato stands with each other."
Considering the fact that taking over command of the US army in Europe final year, Gen Hodges has identified himself on the front line of an increasingly nervous stand-off with Vladimir Putin's Russia.
Eastern European nations are looking to Nato, and the US in specific, for reassurance that they will not be left to face Russian aggression alone.
A year following it pulled its last tank out of Europe, the US is sending hundreds of tanks and heavy fighting autos back to the continent, and Gen Hodges is in the middle of talks over exactly where to position them.
But he has also assumed command at a time when a lot of Western European nations are cutting their military budgets, and relying ever additional on the US for their defence.
"I feel the question for each nation to ask is: are they safety shoppers or safety providers?" Gen Hodges said. "Do they bring capabilities the alliance desires?"
• What is the greatest threat facing the globe currently?
He declined to be drawn on the UK's defence price range, and the major parties' failure to commit to Nato's spending target of two per cent of GDP.
Russian President Vladimir Putin listens during an annual get in touch with-in show on Russian tv "Conversation With Vladimir Putin" in Moscow
"My experience of the UK is principally of the British army, and they are 1 of the very best armies in the world," he stated. "They have incredibly capable officers and NCOs.
"The partnership among the US and the UK is as robust as ever and we are often seeking for ways to strengthen it. We require the capability that the British bring. They've been by our side in anything we've performed.
"We've got our own challenges in the US army. Globally countries are facing stress on defence spending, which includes the US.
"I am confident the UK will live up to its responsibilities."
In recent years, even though Western countries have been cutting their defence budgets, Russia has been spending heavily on modernising its military.
"We're not interested in a fair fight with any individual," Gen Hodges stated. "We want to have overmatch in all systems. I never believe that we've fallen behind but Russia has closed the gap in specific capabilities. We do not want them to close that gap."
The recent involvement of Russian forces in fighting in eastern Ukraine has shown that they have made huge advances, specifically in electronic warfare, Gen Hodges said.
But he does not think this is the start out of a new Cold War.
"That was a unique predicament, with gigantic forces and big numbers of nuclear weapons," he stated. "The only issue that is comparable now is that Russia and Nato have various views about what the security atmosphere in Europe really should be.
"I do not think it is the exact same as the Cold War. We did very specific factors then that are no longer relevant. We don't need to have 300,000 soldiers in Europe. Nobody can afford that any additional.
"We want to see Russia back in the international community and cooperating against Islamic terrorism and on Iran's nuclear ambitions. That's distinctive from the Cold War."
Gen Hodges has an uncomplicated manner with the males under his command, generating jokes and asking the opinions of the most junior privates, as nicely as senior officers.
He has combat encounter as a brigade commander in Iraq, but in his existing part he has to deal with unique challenges.
A Russian Federation Air Force Su-27 Sukhoi fighter aircraft throughout a instruction physical exercise
"I am confident they are not going to line up Russian tanks and go rolling into another nation," he mentioned. "They don't want a military confrontation with Nato. Our alliance is the most productive alliance in history and it has a lot of capability."
Russia will not danger an open attack on a Nato member, he believes, for worry the alliance will invoke Write-up V of its treaty, beneath which an attack on one member is an attack on all.
Rather, the danger is that Russia will seek to put stress on Nato members on its borders by way of other suggests.
"Russia doesn't want to let the temperature attain 100C, they want to hold the temperature at 90C, 95C, but they try to maintain it beneath 100C," he said.
"There's information and facts, financial pressure, border violations. There are diverse approaches of maintaining the pressure up. They do not want a clear attack, they want a situation where all 28 [Nato member nations] won't say there is a clear attack."
He pointed to the large Russian-speaking populations in the Baltic nations, and the economic power Russia has as a important customer of eastern European agricultural make, as attainable avenues Mr Putin may try to exploit.
But he stated that Nato remains united in the face of Russian aggression.
"If President Putin's objective is to fracture the alliance, then he's going about it the wrong way," Gen Hodges mentioned. "At the Wales summit there was a unity of the alliance I have not observed before, and it came about due to the fact of Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea and its use of force to change the borders of a sovereign country, Ukraine. It was a direct response to Russia's behaviour in Crimea."
He points to recent moves by traditionally neutral Sweden and Finland to cooperate far more closely on defence with Nato members Norway, Denmark and Iceland.
"Nobody's trying to join Russia. There's no country scurrying to get under Russia's protective umbrella," he mentioned.
The Danish military said that it had scrambled its F-16 squadrons 58 instances in 2014 to head off Russian aircraft
"Why do so a lot of countries want to join the EU or Nato? It is about values. They want safety and prosperity.
"Russia desires to make it complicated for nations that were affiliated with the USSR or the Warsaw Pact to join the West. The way they see it they're entitled to a function, to a sphere of influence.
"I feel the position of the West is that this notion of a sphere of influence is not applicable in the 21st century. In the 21st century countries have the suitable to choose for themselves what is suitable for them and what sort of nation they want to be. They've created the European selection. That's what this is all about."
Because taking up his command, Gen Hodges has been outspoken over the Russian threat in a way that is rare for a serving basic.
"I assume I recognize my function. I don't make policy for the US or the alliance. I carry out policy," he mentioned.
He has chosen to speak out mainly because he fears the Russia is going unchallenged in the details war, he mentioned.
"We speak about DIME: diplomacy, details, military and economy. An important aspect of how Russia operates is how they use information.
"They use info the way they use infantry and missiles. They're not burdened by the truth. Most of the independent media has left Russia and a substantial percentage is government-owned or -dominated. They don't have to worry about congressional or parliamentary oversight. There's a constant bombardment of info."
In his last interview just before his death on Monday, Günter Grass, the Nobel-winning German author, mentioned he feared that humanity was "sleepwalking" towards one more Planet War.
Gen Hodges disagreed. "I believe we were sleepwalking a couple of years ago when we believed Russia wanted to be a part of the international community," he mentioned. "They had been with us in Bosnia. We basically have a mechanism for them to cooperate with Nato.
"But I think we're wide-awake now."
Our editors found this article on this site using Google and regenerated it for our readers.
"You have got the Russian ambassador threatening that Denmark will be a nuclear target if it participates in any missile defence programme. And when you look at the unsafe way Russian aircraft are flying with no transponders in proximity to civilian aircraft, that is not experienced conduct."
Gen Hodges spoke to the Telegraph on the sidelines of a military debriefing right after an exercise to move reside Patriot missiles 750 miles across Europe by road and deploy them on the outskirts of Warsaw.
The sight of a US military convoy crossing the German-Polish border much more than 20 years after the finish of the Cold War created international headlines and brought site visitors to a standstill as people posed for selfies beside the troops.
The intention of such a hugely visible deployment was to send a signal, Gen Hodges mentioned.
"That's exactly what it was about, reassuring our allies," he stated.
Gen Hodges pointed to recent Russian choices to move Iskandar ballistic missiles to its Kaliningrad enclave, among Lithuania and Poland, and extended-variety nuclear-capable bombers to Crimea.
"I do not believe a military confrontation is inevitable. But you have to be militarily prepared in order to enable efficient diplomacy," he stated.
"The finest insurance we have against a showdown is that Nato stands with each other."
Considering the fact that taking over command of the US army in Europe final year, Gen Hodges has identified himself on the front line of an increasingly nervous stand-off with Vladimir Putin's Russia.
Eastern European nations are looking to Nato, and the US in specific, for reassurance that they will not be left to face Russian aggression alone.
A year following it pulled its last tank out of Europe, the US is sending hundreds of tanks and heavy fighting autos back to the continent, and Gen Hodges is in the middle of talks over exactly where to position them.
But he has also assumed command at a time when a lot of Western European nations are cutting their military budgets, and relying ever additional on the US for their defence.
"I feel the question for each nation to ask is: are they safety shoppers or safety providers?" Gen Hodges said. "Do they bring capabilities the alliance desires?"
• What is the greatest threat facing the globe currently?
He declined to be drawn on the UK's defence price range, and the major parties' failure to commit to Nato's spending target of two per cent of GDP.
Russian President Vladimir Putin listens during an annual get in touch with-in show on Russian tv "Conversation With Vladimir Putin" in Moscow
"My experience of the UK is principally of the British army, and they are 1 of the very best armies in the world," he stated. "They have incredibly capable officers and NCOs.
"The partnership among the US and the UK is as robust as ever and we are often seeking for ways to strengthen it. We require the capability that the British bring. They've been by our side in anything we've performed.
"We've got our own challenges in the US army. Globally countries are facing stress on defence spending, which includes the US.
"I am confident the UK will live up to its responsibilities."
In recent years, even though Western countries have been cutting their defence budgets, Russia has been spending heavily on modernising its military.
"We're not interested in a fair fight with any individual," Gen Hodges stated. "We want to have overmatch in all systems. I never believe that we've fallen behind but Russia has closed the gap in specific capabilities. We do not want them to close that gap."
The recent involvement of Russian forces in fighting in eastern Ukraine has shown that they have made huge advances, specifically in electronic warfare, Gen Hodges said.
But he does not think this is the start out of a new Cold War.
"That was a unique predicament, with gigantic forces and big numbers of nuclear weapons," he stated. "The only issue that is comparable now is that Russia and Nato have various views about what the security atmosphere in Europe really should be.
"I do not think it is the exact same as the Cold War. We did very specific factors then that are no longer relevant. We don't need to have 300,000 soldiers in Europe. Nobody can afford that any additional.
"We want to see Russia back in the international community and cooperating against Islamic terrorism and on Iran's nuclear ambitions. That's distinctive from the Cold War."
Gen Hodges has an uncomplicated manner with the males under his command, generating jokes and asking the opinions of the most junior privates, as nicely as senior officers.
He has combat encounter as a brigade commander in Iraq, but in his existing part he has to deal with unique challenges.
A Russian Federation Air Force Su-27 Sukhoi fighter aircraft throughout a instruction physical exercise
"I am confident they are not going to line up Russian tanks and go rolling into another nation," he mentioned. "They don't want a military confrontation with Nato. Our alliance is the most productive alliance in history and it has a lot of capability."
Russia will not danger an open attack on a Nato member, he believes, for worry the alliance will invoke Write-up V of its treaty, beneath which an attack on one member is an attack on all.
Rather, the danger is that Russia will seek to put stress on Nato members on its borders by way of other suggests.
"Russia doesn't want to let the temperature attain 100C, they want to hold the temperature at 90C, 95C, but they try to maintain it beneath 100C," he said.
"There's information and facts, financial pressure, border violations. There are diverse approaches of maintaining the pressure up. They do not want a clear attack, they want a situation where all 28 [Nato member nations] won't say there is a clear attack."
He pointed to the large Russian-speaking populations in the Baltic nations, and the economic power Russia has as a important customer of eastern European agricultural make, as attainable avenues Mr Putin may try to exploit.
But he stated that Nato remains united in the face of Russian aggression.
"If President Putin's objective is to fracture the alliance, then he's going about it the wrong way," Gen Hodges mentioned. "At the Wales summit there was a unity of the alliance I have not observed before, and it came about due to the fact of Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea and its use of force to change the borders of a sovereign country, Ukraine. It was a direct response to Russia's behaviour in Crimea."
He points to recent moves by traditionally neutral Sweden and Finland to cooperate far more closely on defence with Nato members Norway, Denmark and Iceland.
"Nobody's trying to join Russia. There's no country scurrying to get under Russia's protective umbrella," he mentioned.
The Danish military said that it had scrambled its F-16 squadrons 58 instances in 2014 to head off Russian aircraft
"Why do so a lot of countries want to join the EU or Nato? It is about values. They want safety and prosperity.
"Russia desires to make it complicated for nations that were affiliated with the USSR or the Warsaw Pact to join the West. The way they see it they're entitled to a function, to a sphere of influence.
"I feel the position of the West is that this notion of a sphere of influence is not applicable in the 21st century. In the 21st century countries have the suitable to choose for themselves what is suitable for them and what sort of nation they want to be. They've created the European selection. That's what this is all about."
Because taking up his command, Gen Hodges has been outspoken over the Russian threat in a way that is rare for a serving basic.
"I assume I recognize my function. I don't make policy for the US or the alliance. I carry out policy," he mentioned.
He has chosen to speak out mainly because he fears the Russia is going unchallenged in the details war, he mentioned.
"We speak about DIME: diplomacy, details, military and economy. An important aspect of how Russia operates is how they use information.
"They use info the way they use infantry and missiles. They're not burdened by the truth. Most of the independent media has left Russia and a substantial percentage is government-owned or -dominated. They don't have to worry about congressional or parliamentary oversight. There's a constant bombardment of info."
In his last interview just before his death on Monday, Günter Grass, the Nobel-winning German author, mentioned he feared that humanity was "sleepwalking" towards one more Planet War.
Gen Hodges disagreed. "I believe we were sleepwalking a couple of years ago when we believed Russia wanted to be a part of the international community," he mentioned. "They had been with us in Bosnia. We basically have a mechanism for them to cooperate with Nato.
"But I think we're wide-awake now."
Our editors found this article on this site using Google and regenerated it for our readers.