NATO is shifting its defense planning to include precision conventional strikes deep inside Russia in the event of an attack on alliance territory. The change reflects lessons from the ongoing war in Ukraine and aims to deter Moscow by targeting not only advancing forces but the systems that sustain them.

U.S. Air Force Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, spelled out the approach in a speech on his "theory of victory" at the Warsaw Security Forum. He described a three-phase response: block an initial assault at the border, blunt follow-on advances, and if necessary break the enemy's warfighting system by striking supporting elements far behind the lines.

The plan was discussed at NATO's first Deep Strike Symposium in June. It calls for using long-range missiles, rockets, and drones against military bases, supply depots, command centers, industrial facilities, and critical infrastructure located from roughly 100 miles to thousands of miles inside Russia. The strategy explicitly avoids any escalation to nuclear weapons.

Grynkewich stated that defensive forces would hit "anything and everything that supports, sustains, or controls" an attacking force. Polish Maj. Gen. Ireneusz Nowak echoed the need for credible deterrence, saying allies must be able to strike an aggressor's defense-industrial base.

This marks a departure from decades of NATO planning focused primarily on halting an invasion at the alliance's borders. Officials say the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East have shown that stopping ground advances requires disabling the logistics and production networks behind them.

The United States has been expanding its inventory of systems such as Tomahawk cruise missiles and ATACMS rockets to support the capability, while European allies consider contributions like Storm Shadow missiles. The emphasis remains on conventional precision weapons, including lower-cost drones, to achieve the required mass.

The new framework strengthens NATO's overall posture by making deep strikes a core element of collective defense rather than a last resort. It signals to potential adversaries that aggression would face rapid and far-reaching conventional retaliation.