This year's Warsaw Security Forum, held in Warsaw, the capital of Poland, witnessed evaluations on the axis of increasing tension with Russia, hybrid threats, nuclear deterrence and Europe's defense procurement.
Founded by the Casimir Pulaski Foundation in 2014, following the annexation of Crimea by Russia, and acting with the motto "For Your and Our Freedom", the forum brought together more than 2,500 delegates from more than 90 countries on 12-13 October 2026.
This year's partner country of the two-day organization, which brings together heads of state, ministers, senior military commanders and security experts, approximately 60 percent of whose participants come from outside Poland, is Norway, which harmonizes Scandinavian defense planning with Eastern European security frameworks.
At the forum, which was held with public panel sessions, industry presentations and closed-door roundtables held within the scope of the Chatham House Rule, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) and US Air Force General Alexus Grynkewich announced the alliance's military strategy called "Victory Theory".
Grynkewich stated that he would implement a three-stage operational plan to stop any attack on NATO territory and render it fruitless.
STRATEGY OF STOPPING, PREVENTING AND ATTEMPTING THE ATTACK
Military concept presented by General Grynkewich; It is based on three basic elements: stopping the first attack, preventing the continuation of the attack and wearing down the enemy.
In the first phase, defensive reinforcements will be made to prevent the enemy from breaking through the defense lines, catching the alliance by surprise and achieving its operational goals before the member states gather and mobilize their forces.
Stating that intelligence superiority will play a decisive role in detecting an approaching threat in advance and deploying forces on time, Grynkewich stated that in the second stage, air and naval forces will gain air and sea superiority by cooperating with space and cyber elements.
The alliance will prevent permanent occupation of NATO territory by using advanced sensors, autonomous systems and multi-domain forces.
The step of wearing down the enemy, which constitutes the third leg of the strategy, aims to weaken the general military potential of the enemy.
Within the scope of the plan, attacks will not be limited to the offensive units on the front line; It will be carried out in depth, covering all elements that support, supply, and are responsible for the command and control of these forces.
Grynkewich stated that the goal was not to inflict a strategic defeat on the enemy, but only to stop the attack.
Emphasizing that they will not create a justification for escalating the tension and that the burden of escalation will fall entirely on the aggressor, the NATO commander stated that the alliance will adapt its responses according to the next moves and will push the adversary into a situation where it cannot find a logical way out other than reducing the tension.
Grynkewich, who did not directly mention Russia in his speech but revealed that his messages clearly targeted Moscow, reminded that Russia was defined as the most important threat to alliance security in NATO's 2022 Strategic Concept document.
According to Reuters, Grynkewich said, "If someone is stupid enough to attack us, we will fight. We will stop the attack and prevent them from reaching their goals, whatever they are. In short, we will ensure that every attack against any ally remains completely futile."
Grynkewich said that if the enemy continues the attack or puts its reserve forces on the field, the entire war system used against NATO will be broken, adding, "This includes not only the attacking force itself, but everything that supports, sustains and controls that force."
Reiterating that NATO is a defense alliance, the US commander stated that he announced these plans to the public because the recent increase in arson and sabotage incidents created concern throughout the alliance.
Stating that they want to reassure one billion alliance citizens, Grynkewich said that they know what to do and how to implement it.
While European governments accused Moscow of sabotage, drone violations and cyber attacks, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that they had no plans to attack any European country and that they wanted to live together in peace.
The security forum discussed tensions between Europe and Russia, as well as concerns about the United States' commitment to common defense.
US President Donald Trump's recent announcement of an agreement with Putin that allows Russia to supply diesel to global markets and his reiteration of his criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy are being watched carefully in Europe.
General Grynkewich, on the other hand, tried to alleviate concerns about Washington's commitment, reminding that Trump referred to the bond of alliance at the NATO Summit held in Ankara in July and said, "I was in that room and felt this love."
In the Ankara Summit Declaration, all members, including the USA, confirmed that an attack on one ally would be considered an attack on all of them.
Eric Beranger, CEO of Europe-based missile manufacturer MBDA, who will leave his post next month, stated in the forum panel that European governments face political obstacles in turning to their own defense industries.
Pointing out that countries such as Poland, Germany and the Netherlands have chosen US suppliers for F-35 warplanes, Beranger noted that governments have a difference of opinion between Europe taking its own destiny into its own hands and developing local capabilities and purchasing from abroad, and that the final decision on this issue has not yet been clarified.
The US Mission to the European Union, in its statement in February, stated that limiting the American defense industry in European procurement programs would threaten the partnership and weaken common security.
Nuclear deterrence also took a wide place at the forum. Referring to Russia's warning last month that NATO might resort to nuclear weapons if it attempted to disconnect Kaliningrad, former British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said that Russians will be most curious about the nuclear and conventional deterrence session at this conference.
German Marshall Fund Transatlantic Security Vice President Claudia Major recalled the conflicts with the USA over Greenland, Russia and Ukraine, and noted that deterrence consists not only of capabilities but also of perceptions, and that in addition to questioning the trust in the USA, it is also important whether Russia believes in American support.
On the other hand, while nuclear maneuvers such as the moments when a Dutch F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft took off for the Steadfast Noon exercise in the north of Italy on October 17, 2023, are in the deterrence history of the alliance, the message that the support given to Ukraine will continue was repeated.
It was stated that the alliance will maintain its military presence and deterrence in the face of hybrid attacks, without seeking direct conflict, and that the USA will remain the main actor in military deterrence.
