BRUSSELS
NATO is to establish command centers in six of its eastern countries in the coming months, the military alliance's secretary general has said.
Speaking on Friday at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Jens Stoltenberg said NATO units would be deployed in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Bulgaria and Romania as part of a "spearhead force" set up in what he said was a response to Russia’s actions in eastern Ukraine.
He said: ''To the south (of Europe), violent extremism is at our borders, spreading turmoil across Iraq and Syria and bringing terror to our streets.
"To the East, Russia has used military force to annex Crimea, destabilize eastern Ukraine, and intimidate its neighbours.''
The command centers will open when the spearhead force, able to deploy within a few days, becomes operational in 2016.
NATO accuses Russia of providing pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine with military equipment -- allegations Russia denies, while other observers have said U.S. troops are involved in clandestine operations in eastern Ukraine.
'More military spending'
NATO defense ministers will decide on the force’s size and design when they meet on Feb. 5 at NATO's Brussels headquarters with the aim of making it operational in 2016.
Stoltenberg also urged NATO member countries to spend more on their military budgets.
''It is vital that we invest in our defense,'' Stoltenberg said, ''We must spend more and we must spend better.''
At a NATO summit in Wales last year, NATO heads of government pledged to halt cuts in military spending and allocate two percent of their Gross Domestic Product to defense, according to Stoltenberg.
''I will continue to work with allies to keep that pledge,'' he said.
Russian Defense Ministry announced on Jan. 26 that it would increase its air force drills by 30 percent in its Southern Military District, covering the territory around the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea.
