NATO says it will significantly increase troops assigned to its eastern flank.

NATO is set to approve its biggest overhaul of its defenses since the Cold War, significantly increasing the number of troops assigned to defend the alliance’s eastern flank and making a major commitment to position heavy military equipment there.

As the Atlantic alliance’s annual summit kicks off on Tuesday evening in Madrid, global leaders are huddling across Europe at two other meetings to address the fallout from the war in Ukraine.

At the NATO summit, which runs until Thursday, the group will approve its first updated mission statement in 12 years, which will tackle military spending and planning. The increase in troops on the eastern flank is closest to Russia and Belarus, where positioning equipment like tanks and artillery would bolster an allied response to any Russian threat or aggression.

The alliance also plans to address the dispute around the efforts by Sweden and Finland to join NATO. Read more

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