NATO countries are considering how to strengthen their air and missile defenses to combat threats such as drone, cruise and hypersonic missile strikes. Bloomberg writes about it..

The range of challenges facing NATO has increased over the past decade as some countries, such as Russia, as well as terrorist groups, can buy thousands of drones and arm them, said NATO Joint Air Command Deputy Commander Johnny Stringer.

The proliferation of cruise missiles and the first operational use of hypersonic missiles are also of concern, he said..

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He added that this will continue to be an important area of \u200b\u200bfocus as Russia resorts to cruise missile attacks on key infrastructure in Ukraine amid setbacks on the battlefield..

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Iranian Drones Russian rocket and drone attacks against Ukraine in recent weeks have hit much of the country's critical infrastructure, leaving millions without reliable electricity and water during the winter. Russia likely received drone resupply from Iran and is trying to get more weapons, including hundreds of ballistic missiles, according to the UK Department of Defense.

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February, the Alliance has already beefed up its air defenses on its eastern flank with a Patriot system in Slovakia and French MAMBA counter-battery radar in Romania.. Germany is also sending a Patriot to Poland after a rocket landed in the country's border town in November, killing two people..

About 15 countries, including the UK and the Netherlands, have joined a German-led project to jointly acquire air defense equipment and missiles to create a European shield that will strengthen the defense of most of the continent..

Enhanced air and missile defense systems fit in with a broader overhaul of the Alliance's defense system prompted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. NATO leaders at their summit in Madrid last June agreed to create a new force model that would put some 300,000 troops on high alert to counter any future threats..

Space technologies.

Drones, in particular, can pose a challenge to air defense systems, as they typically fly low and are difficult to detect.. And the munitions to destroy them can often cost more than the drones themselves, which adds to the costs of warfare, although it depends on the defense systems used, Stringer explained..

The Russian war against Ukraine also showed how access to space services such as GPS and other means of communication can change the nature of war.. The rise of commercial providers with hundreds of satellites, such as Elon Musk's Starlink, "

While this could create more threats, it could open up more opportunities as the military is no longer tied to specific systems, he added..

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Earlier it was reported that the United States approved a plan to strengthen the military presence in the Baltic countries, which provides that American soldiers and military equipment units will be in Latvia on a rotational basis without breaks to perform their duties.. In the coming years, the presence of rotational units at the military bases of Jadazhi and Lielvarde is planned.