NATO will significantly increase the number of forces on high alert to more than 300,000 from 40,000 as part of the largest overhaul of the alliance’s defenses since the Cold War.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also confirmed that the Allies will expand the deployment of troops to NATO countries closest to Russia.
The decisions will be set out at a historic summit of the 30-member NATO alliance this week in Madrid, which takes place in the shadow of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“We will transform NATO’s response force and increase the number of our high-preparedness forces to more than 300,000,” Stoltenberg said.
The NATO Response Force currently has about 40,000 soldiers, sailors and air personnel.
Sky News revealed last week that it would increase significantly, with two military sources saying it would be six times larger.
Sky News understands that the name will also be changed to the Allied Reaction Force.
Sky News was the first to report the increase in forces last week before specific numbers were known.
Read more: The lessons the Ministry of Defense is learning from Ukraine and what it means if the UK went to war with Russia