NATO to boost its forces, equipment on eastern flank

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN
Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO defense ministers are discussing ways to bolster forces and deterrence along the military alliance’s eastern borders to dissuade Russia from planning further aggression. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led allies to rethink strategies, and they now agree that NATO forces should be present in greater numbers on the eastern flank. They have already beefed up the deployment of troops and material and want to guarantee a long-term presence of forces. The NATO chief said Thursday at pre-positioning equipment does help speed up any response to threats. The meeting of defense ministers comes ahead of a June 29-30 NATO summit in Madrid that will set out a roadmap for the alliance for years to come.