French Admiral Pierre Vandier wey be NATO top commander don yarn say di weapons wey West get today no fit fight war wey dey happen for Ukraine. He talk say di maths no dey favour di West. According to am, there is no way to produce 50,000 Patriots every year because di supply chain no dey and di cost too high.
Vandier talk for interview with Fox News Digital after NATO summit for Ankara, Turkey. Di summit bin produce promise to buy 900 Patriot missiles and invest more than $40 billion for counter-drone capability for five years. But Vandier argue say just buying more of di old weapons no go solve di problem.
Russia don dey fire missiles and drones for Ukraine every night, and dis don show say di air defence model wey dey work for small number of attacks no fit handle big waves. Di Middle East conflict also dey increase demand for high-end interceptors like Patriots and THAAD wey dem no fit replace quick-quick.
Vandier say NATO need different kind of defence: cheap weapons wey dem fit produce for mass to kill drone waves, and keep di expensive ones for ballistic missiles. He say make dem design weapons wey fit be attritable, low-cost, and mass-produced to kill di low-cost weapons wey dey come for big waves.
Trump don announce say United States go give Ukraine license to manufacture Patriot interceptors. But Vandier point say di real problem na say Western weapons dem design based on industrial base wey no longer dey. Di design need to change, and some stuff go be redesigned under pressure to mass-produce.
NATO dey try to transform against threat wey dey change for real time. Russia don show say dem fit learn battlefield lessons quick and adjust weekly. Vandier say if you no adapt for war, you go die. Russia no too bad for dat one. For NATO now, e be question of speed of adaptation.
Ukraine own defence industry dey set pace for bigger Western manufacturers. Ukrainian companies fit develop, field, and modify systems quick- quick respond to changes for battlefield. Vandier say di very agile and fast-evolving industrial base for Ukraine dey give pace to European and Western industry.
Di technological competition no only for drones and air defences. Vandier warn say di collapse of Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty don open race for long-range missiles for Europe. Di treaty from 1987 bin stop US and Russia from having ground-launched missiles wey range from 500 to 5,500 kilometres. Di first Trump administration withdraw for 2019 after accusing Russia of violating am.
Vandier say di disappearance of those limits don produce period of complete strategic instability. Both sides dey under pressure to develop new capabilities to preserve deterrence. He say di Pandora’s box don open again, and dem go try to close am one day.
