NATO steps up to Russia, but back from Afghanistan

December 03, 2014

NATO nations today agreed to bolster its defenses against Russian aggression, continuing the military alliance's return to its founding mission by focusing on nearby threats as it steps back from more than a decade of combat in Afghanistan.

The 28 member countries approved a new interim quick-reaction military force to protect themselves from Russia or other threats, with an initial unit to be up and running on Jan. 1, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said. The interim force will be supplanted in 2016 by a permanent one, Stoltenberg said.