NATO plans to strengthen defenses on European borders with Russia in the next two years, in particular by creating an "automated defense zone" equipped with equipment that requires almost no soldiers, Brigadier General Thomas Lovin told the German Welt am Sonntag today.
Lovin, who is also the deputy chief of operations at NATO's Land Command in Izmir, said that the defense plan would include a defense zone, a type of "hot zone," that the enemy would have to cross before they could possibly advance.
Specifically, sensors will detect enemy forces and activate defense systems, such as armed drones, partially autonomous combat vehicles, unmanned ground robots, and automated air and missile defense systems will be engaged, the general explained.
However, the final decision on the use of these weapons "will always remain under human control," Lovin stressed.
The sensors, designed to cover an area spanning thousands of kilometers, will be located "on the ground, in space, in cyberspace or in the air," Lovin said.
They will be able to collect data on "the movement or use of adversary weapons" to "provide all NATO countries with real-time intelligence," the general added.
Lovin said it will be necessary to strengthen existing weapons stocks, maintain the number of soldiers at the current level and use artificial intelligence to manage the system.
Initial components are already being tested in pilot projects in Poland and Romania, and the entire NATO system is expected to be operational by the end of 2027, according to the German newspaper, whose statements are reported by French media.
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