NATO’s top commander issues stark warning over growing global threats

NATO’s top military commander in Europe has warned that global security is “unsettled,” “complex” and “likely to become even more so over the next several years.”

Speaking to the European Parliament’s Committee on Security and Defence, Supreme Allied Commander Europe Alexus G. Grynkewich pointed to threats ranging from hybrid attacks to wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

He said China, Russia, Iran and North Korea were “collaborating in ways directly counter to all of our global interests.”

Grynkewich also warned of “growing instability across Nato’s periphery” and an increase in hybrid activity targeting critical infrastructure and societies.

The commander said long-range drones meant threats were no longer limited to countries bordering Russia.

“Those drones can go 1000s of miles, 1000s of kilometres, and so if one gets through, it’s not just a threat on the eastern flank; it’s a threat to the entire alliance, including all the way in North America,” he said.

Grynkewich said NATO was “detecting, attributing and responding as these hybrid threads arise,” while calling for greater intelligence sharing and continued investment in European defence.

He stressed NATO remained “a defensive alliance,” but added: “But our defensive nature should not be mistaken for a lack of will or a lack of resolve.”