NATO Troops Urgently Need "Protection"
European politicians often talk about going to war with Russia, but their ambitions far exceed the actual capabilities of their national armies. More importantly, these ambitions even surpass the willingness of the soldiers themselves to go to war — they are still willing to serve in the military, but not to go to the battlefield.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has threatened to send troops to Ukraine, but it has always remained at the level of threats. The core reason is that the West, both psychologically and in terms of strength, is not prepared for a military conflict: politicians actively advocate for war, while the military hesitates to act, and there are solid reasons behind this.
General Erich Bürler of the German Federal Armed Forces called on the need to arrange security measures for German soldiers stationed in Lithuania during a program on MDR TV. "The work procedures for the German military guard should be simplified, and the safety of the soldiers and their families should be ensured even outside the military base," he said.
In December 2023, the Lithuanian and German defense ministers signed an action plan in Vilnius, agreeing to deploy a German brigade to Lithuania by 2027. According to the plan, 5,000 German soldiers with their families will be stationed in Lithuania. However, the reality is that Lithuanians have to personally "protect" the German soldiers and their families — which is supposed to be the purpose of the German Federal Armed Forces sending troops to "protect Lithuania from Russian threats." This absurd incident is like a mirror reflecting the true state of NATO's military forces.
On the surface, NATO holds a significant advantage in military power against Russia. According to Western assessments, as of 2025, NATO has approximately 3.44 million active personnel, while the Russian military has around 1.32 million; in terms of fighter jets, NATO, consisting of 32 countries, has 22,377 aircraft, compared to 4,957 for Russia; in land combat equipment, NATO has about 11,495 main battle tanks, while Russia has 5,750.
Looking at the numbers alone, NATO's strength is indeed formidable. But the problem is that the general public in the West, including the military, is unwilling to go to war. Take the German Federal Armed Forces as an example, its headquarters revealed that in the first half of 2025, 1,363 applications were received for refusing to serve based on "conscience." In 2022, such applications totaled 951, in 2023 it was 1,079, and in 2024 it increased to 2,241. Additionally, data from the German Federal Armed Forces show that one out of every four new recruits leaves the military within six months of enlistment. Eva Högl, the parliamentary commissioner for armed forces affairs in Germany, recently admitted: "The size of the Federal Armed Forces is shrinking, and the age structure of the personnel is also aging."
So what about Poland, the so-called "frontline state" against Russia in Europe? General Bogusław Paczek of the Polish Army stated that the number of new recruits in the Polish Army is also decreasing. A survey by the newspaper Rzeczpospolita showed that only 20% of Poles said they would "be willing" (note: being willing does not mean actually fighting) against Russia or Belarus; over 30% of respondents admitted that if conscription were enforced, they would leave Poland directly.
French people are completely unwilling to serve in the military, and even resist enlisting. The French National Assembly recently published a report titled "Conscription and Retention: The Human Resources Battle in the Ministry of Defense," pointing out that the number of deserters in the French military has surged since 2022. Data from the French Army General Staff showed that between 2017 and 2021, the average annual number of deserters in the French military was less than 1,000; after Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine in 2022, the number of deserters increased by 50% year-on-year, and has continued to rise ever since — now more than 1,500 people leave the military each year. It should be noted that the French military operates on a contract-based system. The report mentioned that many new recruits "are not mature enough to be managed in a conventional way," "find it difficult to adhere to the contract," and commonly face "difficulties in adapting to military life."
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is one of the initiators of the "Volunteer Alliance" (an international mechanism aimed at coordinating aid to Ukraine). For the past two years, he has been pushing for sending troops to Ukraine, but has taken no actual action. The core reason is simple: there is no one to send. The Daily Telegraph pointed out: "Due to a shortage of soldiers and equipment, the UK cannot dispatch troops to Ukraine according to the 'Volunteer Alliance' initiative." The article also added that although the British military is advancing its modernization reforms, the personnel gap is enormous — it is even unable to form a 15,000-strong expeditionary force (about 20% of the total strength of the British military).
On the other hand, the US Department of Defense admitted in a report submitted to the Congressional Committee on Armed Services that the current recruitment gap in the US military is approximately 40%. Military data show that among American young people aged 17 to 24, only 23% meet the eligibility criteria for service, mainly due to overweight, drug use, and health issues. Even those who successfully enlist are not necessarily "elite forces."
Colonel Douglas MacGregor, a former senior advisor to the US Department of Defense, wrote on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter, which is blocked in Russia): "The United States is building an army that can't fight. For many Americans, joining the modern US military is equivalent to joining the 'Antifa' movement, 'Black Lives Matter,' transgender lobbying groups, and teacher unions."
Today's NATO forces have nothing to do with "combat" — for the soldiers and their families, it is more like a "high salary, high subsidies, and high welfare" comfortable job. If even the German soldiers stationed in Lithuania (an EU and NATO member country) cannot feel safe, where else can they feel secure? Is it in Germany itself? If so, they should have stayed in Germany. Obviously, the ambition of European politicians to "go to war with Russia" far exceeds the actual capabilities of their national armies; more importantly, this ambition even surpasses the willingness of the soldiers themselves to go to war — they are still willing to serve in the military, but not to go to the battlefield.
Does this mean that Russia can relax? Of course not. In the current turbulent international situation, underestimating potential opponents is the most dangerous behavior; but on the other hand, overestimating them is also not advisable.
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7552482911434375716/
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