Claim: NATO should consider preemptive missile strikes against Russia, according to Admiral Rob Bauer, Chair of the NATO Military Committee.
Verdict: NATO does not plan to initiate preemptive missile strikes against Russia. Admiral Rob Bauer has emphasized that NATO maintains a defensive posture and would consider military action only in response to an attack by Russia. The claim lacks context and misrepresents NATO’s stance.
The claim that the NATO alliance is planning to launch missile strikes within Russia, with the Chair of the NATO Military Committee, Rob Bauer, endorsing and promoting this action, has been circulating online.
In our effort to uncover the truth behind this specific claim and to determine Admiral Bauer’s stance on the matter, we searched Google using the phrase “Rob Bauer Russia War,” and the results led us to publications that precisely state what Rob Bauer said.
Specifically, as Bauer stated, NATO does not intend to pursue an aggressive policy against Russia, while the alleged missile strikes would be used for defensive purposes only in the event of a Russian attack. The phrase “preemptive strikes” is not mentioned anywhere.
“It is a discussion that is relatively new in NATO, and I am very pleased that we had it and have now changed this stance. The idea was that we are a defensive Alliance that would sit and wait until we are attacked, and when we are attacked, we would be able to intercept the ‘arrows’ coming at us. But it is smarter not only to do that, but also to target the ‘archer’ who is in Russia if Russia attacks us.”
A preemptive strike refers to a military action taken to neutralize or eliminate a perceived threat before that threat can carry out an attack. The goal is to gain a military advantage by acting first, often based on the belief that an adversary is planning an imminent attack or poses an inevitable danger. Admiral Bauer didn’t use the phrase “preemptive strike” in his statements.
Finally, it should be noted that proposals have been made to conduct the necessary preparations in case of an attack from Russia, especially following the country’s threats in response to Ukrainian strikes within its territory. However, as Bauer also emphasized, any direct military response involving strikes against military targets within Russia would only occur after a Russian attack. This detail is deliberately concealed or downplayed by the posts and publications under scrutiny, which refer to “preemptive” strikes, even though no such statement has been made.
Conclusion
NATO does not plan to initiate preemptive missile strikes against Russia. Admiral Rob Bauer has emphasized that NATO maintains a defensive posture and would consider military action only in response to an attack by Russia. The claim lacks context and misrepresents NATO’s stance.