NATO must put much more effort into planning how to defend its members from attack if its pledge to protect them is to remain credible, a group of 12 experts said Monday, DPA reported.
NATO's core mission is to protect its members by treating an attack on any one of them as an attack on the whole alliance. But in recent years, some members in Eastern Europe have questioned NATO's will to defend them, especially against any potential attack from Russia.
The extra planning should include "the contingency planning, focused exercises, force readiness and sound logistics required to preserve the confidence of allies," the 12-man report said.
However, any such planning should be presented to NATO neighbours in such a way as to minimize "the likelihood of miscalculation on the part of potential adversaries," the report said.