US to provide critical but more limited capabilities to NATO, top commander says

NATO’s top commander said on Thursday the United States would continue to provide “critical but more limited capabilities” to the alliance as Europeans take up a greater role in defending the continent.

U.S. Air Force General Alexus Grynkewich, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, was speaking in a phone interview with Reuters en route to a change of command ceremony at a NATO headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, where a British army general will take over from a U.S. Navy vice admiral.

However, NATO recently announced that is stepping up intelligence-sharing in response to a wave of sabotage and other incidents apparently linked to Russia but should be “calm and confident” that it can handle any threat posed by Moscow, the alliance’s top commander told Reuters on Thursday.

The comments by US Air Force General Alexus Grynkewich came after Denmark’s defense intelligence service warned that Russia was likely to intensify a hybrid war — a term that covers a range of attacks below the level of a conventional military assault — against the West in the coming months.

The Danish service added there was “a low but growing risk” that Moscow might launch a limited military attack against one or several NATO countries that border Russia.

“It’s concerning,” Grynkewich, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, said of a string of incidents in recent weeks including an attempted drone attack at Germany’s Leipzig/Halle Airport and a Russian ship firing flares towards a Danish military helicopter.

“But we should be calm and confident that we as an alliance, the most powerful alliance in history, have the tools that we need and have the mechanisms that we need in order to manage the risk here,” he added.

Moscow has repeatedly denied any involvement in hybrid warfare or sabotage operations in NATO countries, or plotting any confrontation.

PUTIN BETTER NOT TRY ATTACK ‘ON MY WATCH’, GENERAL SAYS

Grynkewich was speaking in a phone interview with Reuters en route to a change-of-command ceremony at a NATO headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, where a British army general is taking over from a US Navy vice admiral.

Asked about the risk of a limited Russian attack on NATO territory, Grynkewich stressed the alliance’s readiness for any such contingency, saying such a development was “unlikely but something that we can’t rule out”.

Grynkewich dismissed suggestions that Russian President Vladimir Putin might see an opportunity to strike at NATO, given that the US has used up much of its global stockpile of highly accurate long-range missiles in the war with Iran, according to people familiar with the data.

“Absolutely not. He better not try it on my watch,” he said, adding NATO was well positioned to defend every inch of its territory.

“If we proceed from the phase we’re in and we start to see emerging threats, I’m confident that I have the authorities now that I need in order to take actions to deter any aggression against the alliance.”

NATO IN MIDST OF CHANGE AS EUROPEANS TAKE GREATER ROLE

The handover of Norfolk to a European commander is part of a broader reshuffle in keeping with US President Donald Trump’s demands that European nations take more responsibility for their own security. It will also see a European taking charge of NATO’s Joint Force Command in Naples.

NATO’s Joint Force Command Norfolk is responsible for operations in the Arctic and northern Europe as well as protecting transatlantic resupply routes.

Attempting to reassure European allies concerned about an ongoing review of US forces on the continent, Grynkewich said Washington would continue “to provide critical but more limited capabilities” to NATO as Europeans took on a greater role.

He said there was “no predetermined outcome” in terms of how many US troops would remain in Europe and “what the capabilities are that might relocate”. About 80,000 US troops are currently based on the continent.

Trump has repeatedly threatened to leave NATO, which has been dominated by the US since its establishment in 1949, accusing Europeans of being free-riders on security.

北约最高指挥官周四表示，随着欧洲人在保卫欧洲大陆方面发挥更大作用，美国将继续向北约提供“关键但更为有限的能力”。

美国空军上将、北约欧洲盟军最高司令亚历克西斯·格林克维奇在前往弗吉尼亚州诺福克北约总部参加指挥权交接仪式的途中，接受了路透社的电话采访。届时，一名英国陆军上将将接替一名美国海军中将的职务。

然而，北约最近宣布，为应对一系列显然与俄罗斯有关的破坏和其他事件，北约正在加强情报共享。但北约最高指挥官周四告诉路透社，北约应该“保持冷静和自信”，能够应对莫斯科构成的任何威胁。

美国空军上将亚历克西斯·格林克维奇发表上述评论之前，丹麦国防情报部门警告称，俄罗斯可能在未来几个月内加强对西方的混合战争——该术语涵盖了一系列低于常规军事攻击级别的袭击。

丹麦方面补充说，莫斯科可能对一个或多个与俄罗斯接壤的北约国家发动有限的军事攻击，这种风险“虽然很低，但正在增加”。

北约欧洲盟军最高司令格林克维奇表示：“这令人担忧。”他指的是最近几周发生的一系列事件，包括德国莱比锡/哈勒机场遭遇无人机袭击未遂以及一艘俄罗斯船只向丹麦军用直升机发射照明弹。

“但我们应该保持冷静和自信，因为我们作为一个联盟，历史上最强大的联盟，拥有我们所需的工具和机制来管理这里的风险，”他补充道。

莫斯科一再否认参与北约国家的混合战争或破坏行动，也否认策划任何对抗。

将军警告：普京最好别“在我执政期间”发动攻击

格林克维奇在前往弗吉尼亚州诺福克北约总部参加指挥权交接仪式的途中，接受了路透社的电话采访。在仪式上，一名英国陆军将军将接替一名美国海军中将的职务。

当被问及俄罗斯对北约领土发动有限攻击的风险时，格林克维奇强调北约已做好应对任何此类突发事件的准备，并表示这种事态发展“不太可能，但我们不能排除这种可能性”。

据知情人士透露，格林克维奇驳斥了俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京可能会趁机打击北约的说法，因为美国在与伊朗的战争中已经耗尽了其全球大部分高精度远程导弹储备。

“绝对不行。他最好别在我眼皮底下这么做，”他说道，并补充说北约已做好充分准备，保卫其每一寸领土。

“如果我们继续目前的阶段，并且开始看到新的威胁出现，我相信我现在拥有所需的权力，可以采取行动阻止任何针对联盟的侵略行为。”

随着欧洲人发挥更大作用，北约正处于变革之中

将诺福克司令部移交给一位欧洲指挥官，是美国总统唐纳德·特朗普要求欧洲各国承担更多自身安全责任的更广泛人事调整的一部分。此次调整还将使一位欧洲人接管位于那不勒斯的北约联合部队司令部。

北约诺福克联合部队司令部负责北极和北欧地区的行动，以及保护跨大西洋补给路线。

格林克维奇试图安抚那些对美国正在对欧洲大陆驻军进行审查感到担忧的欧洲盟友，他表示，随着欧洲人发挥更大的作用，华盛顿将继续向北约“提供关键但更有限的能力”。

他表示，目前“没有预先设定的结果”，即有多少美军会继续驻扎在欧洲，以及“哪些部队可能会被调往欧洲”。目前约有8万名美军驻扎在欧洲大陆。

特朗普一再威胁要退出北约，北约自 1949 年成立以来一直由美国主导，他指责欧洲人在安全方面搭便车。