A senior NATO military official on Monday warned businesses to prepare for wartime scenarios. In a wartime scenario, production and distribution lines may need to be adjusted to be less vulnerable to threats from Russia and China.
Dutch Admiral Rob Bauer, chairman of the NATO Military Committee, told attendees at an event at the Center for European Policy think tank in Brussels that all available tools should be used in wartime, Reuters reports. He said it could be used.
“If we can make sure that all the critical services and supplies are delivered no matter what, that's an important part of deterrence,” Bauer said.
He also said that while sabotage is increasing in NATO, the same thing is happening in Europe when it comes to energy supplies.
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Armed Services Committee Chairman Rob Bauer warned business leaders to prepare for wartime scenarios as tensions continue to rise between Russia and Ukraine. (Ore Huiying/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“We thought we had a contract with Gazprom, but in reality we had a contract with Mr. Putin. And the same goes for Chinese-owned infrastructure and goods. We didn't actually have a contract with Gazprom. “I'm here” [Chinese President] Xi [Jinping]” Bauer told the group.
Bauer explained that the West is dependent on supplies from China, as 60% of all rare earth materials are produced and 90% of them are processed in China.
He further explained that chemical raw materials such as sedatives, antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and antihypertensives also come from China.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) and Russian President Vladimir Putin talk during a meeting in Beijing, China, on February 4, 2022. (Alexei Druzhnin/Sputnik/Kremlin pool photo via AP)
“It is naive to think that the Communist Party will never exercise its power,” Bauer said. “European and American business leaders need to recognize that the commercial decisions they make have strategic implications for national security.”
“Companies need to prepare for wartime scenarios and adjust their production and distribution lines accordingly,” he continued to stress. “Military may win battles, but economics wins wars.”
Bauer's message comes as tensions between Ukraine and Russia continue to rise.
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A soldier from the 24th Mechanized Brigade, named after King Danilo of the Ukrainian army, fires a 2S5 “Hyacinth-S” self-propelled grenade at front-line Russian troops near the Donetsk town of Chasiv Yar during the Russian offensive against Ukraine. fire a gun. November 18, 2024, Ukraine Region. (Oleg Petrasiuk/24th King of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Danilo Separate Mechanized Brigade Press Office/Data via Reuters)
Last week, Russia launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) capable of carrying a conventional or nuclear warhead into Ukraine.
Ukrainian officials said the missile, called Oreshnik (Russian for hazel tree), reached speeds of Mach 11 when it struck a factory in the city of Dnipropetrovsk on Thursday.
Two U.S. officials told Fox News that the missile was not hypersonic, but Sabrina Singh, deputy Pentagon spokeswoman, told reporters Thursday that the attack was alarming. He said it was the first time this missile had been used on the battlefield.
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North Korea also sent at least 11,000 soldiers to fight alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, further escalating tensions.
Reuters contributed to this report.
