Brussels, 24 January 2026 (dpa/MIA) - NATO plans to significantly expand weapons and ammunition stockpiles along its eastern flank and to set up a new defensive zone using robotic and automated technology, according to a senior NATO officer.

The measures are aimed at strengthening deterrence against Russia, Brigadier General Thomas Lowin told the Sunday edition of the German newspaper Welt.

Under a new multi-layered defence concept, NATO would seek to slow or halt an attacker at an early stage using high-tech systems.

Along the alliance's borders with Russia and Belarus, a zone is to be created that would rely heavily on surveillance as well as remotely operated or semi-automated systems, which an adversary would first have to overcome before advancing further.

Lowin, deputy chief of staff for operations at NATO's land command in Izmir, told the newspaper that surveillance along the eastern flank would rely on systems collecting data on the ground, in the air, in space and in the digital domain.

The information would be made available to NATO allies in real time, he said. Fixed and mobile systems such as radar, acoustic and optical sensors could be used, alongside data from satellites, drones and reconnaissance aircraft.

Directly along the borders, NATO plans to establish what Lowin described as a "hot zone," designed to stop or slow attackers early on. The area could include armed drones, semi-autonomous combat vehicles, robotic systems and automated air-defence capabilities.

Lowin said the systems would be interconnected to quickly confront an adversary, restrict its options and undermine its combat effectiveness and initiative.

He stressed, however, that decisions on the use of force would always remain in human hands, in line with rules of engagement and ethical standards.

Lowin also said NATO already pre-positions military equipment, but that much larger stockpiles would now be built up in frontline states, including weapons and ammunition both for the automated systems and for alliance forces.

Despite the growing use of automation, troop numbers would not be reduced, he added, noting that unmanned systems alone were not sufficient to deter or stop an adversary over the long term.

Photo: MIA archive