{"id":42710,"date":"2019-11-06T16:32:50","date_gmt":"2019-11-06T16:32:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/11\/06\/russias-ability-to-hold-and-capture-territory-in-europe-threatens-us-and-nato-forces\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T04:00:04","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T04:00:04","slug":"russias-ability-to-hold-and-capture-territory-in-europe-threatens-us-and-nato-forces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/11\/06\/russias-ability-to-hold-and-capture-territory-in-europe-threatens-us-and-nato-forces\/","title":{"rendered":"Russia\u2019s ability to hold and capture territory in Europe threatens US and NATO forces"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Russian investments since 2000 into ground, missile, artillery and electronic warfare capabilities has modernized the Russian military into highly mobile force capable of capturing and holding territory in Europe, according to a RAND report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report titled \u201cTrends in Russia\u2019s Armed Forces<\/a>\u201d detailed that Russia\u2019s experience fighting in Ukraine<\/a> has shown the country\u2019s ability to effectively employ battalion sized elements on the battlefield.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Russia\u2019s operations in Syria have afforded it\u2019s military valuable knowledge in expeditionary warfare, but the report cautioned that Russia\u2019s military forces were more potent operating on the periphery of its border, and had yet to display the ability to conduct large scale division sized operations. Meanwhile, nearly two decades of fighting insurgencies has degraded the U.S. military\u2019s ability to fight near-peer competitors, the report stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And it also warned that Russia\u2019s modernization effort poses a serious challenge to U.S. and NATO forces<\/a> in a conventional fight, and the alliance should continue to study and monitor trends in Russia\u2019s growing military capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\t