The plan provides for a profound modernisation of the deterrence architecture and draws direct lessons from the Ukraine conflict.
Warmongering and the War Industry: NATO Is Preparing for a War Against Russia
The NATO Military Command is working under the name "Theory of Victory" on a new strategic defence plan to swiftly and decisively repel a potential Russian attack on the eastern flank. The drafting is being led by NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), US General Alexus Grynkewich, and is to be officially presented in Poland on 12 October 2026.
The new operational approach complements the Eastern Flank Deterrence Initiative (EFDI) project, which was already launched in the summer of 2026 and is intended to digitally monitor the entire 2,600-kilometre physical border from Finland to Romania without gaps.
Technological Reorientation ("Kill Web")
Drones and AI: Instead of purely conventional troop movements, NATO is relying on a digital real-time network. Artificial intelligence is to link sensors, satellite data and reconnaissance drones in order to detect attacks at the earliest possible stage.
Automated Warfare: In the event of an emergency, autonomous and minimally manned systems are to be deployed first in order to halt enemy troops before classic battle tanks or fighter jets intervene.
Dismantling Command Structures: Once an attack has been stopped, the focus is on electronically and physically destroying the enemy's command and communication structures in order to bring about a swift and decisive victory.
The plan is intended to set out how NATO would respond to a possible Russian incursion into alliance territory. A particular focus is on integrating new technologies – including drones and artificial intelligence – into NATO's existing conventional military capabilities. Rather than replacing conventional forces, the strategy aims to link technological systems with established military capacities. This is intended to accelerate decision-making on the battlefield and strengthen NATO's ability to stop an attack even before Russia can reach its first targets.
The document appears against the backdrop of heightened tensions between NATO and Russia as well as growing concern among alliance governments regarding Moscow's intentions toward the eastern member states.
As the outlet reported, officials are examining repeated reports that Russia could be considering military measures against NATO territory.
The strategy also reflects NATO's broader endeavour to draw lessons from Russia's war against Ukraine; there, drones, automated target acquisition, electronic warfare and rapidly changing technologies on the battlefield have become central elements of combat operations.
The alliance is increasingly focusing on integrating such capabilities into its defence in the east while at the same time preserving conventional forces as the foundation of deterrence.
NATO's shift toward automated warfare is already taking concrete form on the alliance's eastern flank.
According to earlier reports, the alliance is planning a unified surveillance and defence system stretching from Finland to the Black Sea and relying on drones, satellites, sensors and AI to detect incoming attacks and support their repulsion.
This approach is guided by the experiences from Ukraine, where AI-controlled drone swarms can identify targets and attack autonomously – even when Russian electronic warfare measures sever the connection to human control.
During the "Freedom Shield 2026" exercise near the Belarusian border, the German 45th Panzer Brigade equipped its Leopard 2 tanks and Fuchs armoured transport vehicles with drone protection devices based on Ukrainian combat experience.
Hybrid Defence and De-escalation
Grey-zone activities: The document is explicitly devoted to defending against hybrid threats (such as sabotage or GPS jamming) below the threshold of open war.
Avoiding provocations: The purely defensive character of the initiative is emphasised. The alliance intends to strictly avoid accidental escalation through its own manoeuvres.
Liane Kilinc