Stoltenberg: NATO has lost skills in conducting sea military operations
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the Alliance has lost some of its offensive skills at sea since the end of the Cold War.
"NATO has reduced its capabilities at sea, particularly the ability to counter submarines. We are less trained and have lost our skills," he told the German publication Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
The Secretary-General said this while speaking about the activity of Russian submarines and the strengthening of the Russian Federation's military potential.
Stoltenberg believes that the Alliance should be able to transport troops and equipment across the Atlantic, and mentioned related plans to create new units.
The Secretary-General said earlier that the activity of Russian submarines in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean has reached "its highest level since the Cold War."
According to NATO, Russian Navy submarines are cruising throughout the Atlantic, including "near the coastlines" of Alliance countries.