Defence planners working with NATO fear that if war broke out with Russia, Europe could not currently sustain a prolonged war of attrition owing to a public lack of war readiness, a conference on the future of European military coordination heard this week.

Axar.az reports, citing The Guardian, that the pessimism reflects concern that Russia may be winning a so-called hybrid war with Europe, weakening the options available to NATO war planners in the event of military conflict.

The surge in support for the populist forces in Europe’s main military states is also endangering proposals for a group of five European countries, including the UK, to take on a new coordination role as the US prepares to reduce its commitments to the conventional defence of Europe.

Defence officials, speaking at a forum convened by the Munich Security Conference (MSC), the leading security foundation, said the European public may not have the appetite for a prolonged war, requiring NATO to focus its plans on a relatively quick conflict.

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