BRUSSELS: Admiral Rob Bauer, Chair of the Nato Military Committee, who previously warned that all of us need to be prepared to be mobilised, has now said businesses need to prepare for ‘war-time’ scenarios.
Dutch Admiral Rob Bauer, the chairperson of NATO’s military committee, told attendees at an event of the European Policy Center think tank in Brussels that all available instruments could be used during a time of war, according to a report from Reuters.
The NATO military chief noted that 60% of all earth materials are produced in China, with 90% of the products also processed there, reports New York Post.
The bulk of ingredients for critical health care items, including sedatives, antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and low blood pressure medicines, all come from China as well, Bauer said.
He said: ‘Business leaders in Europe and America need to realise that the commercial decisions they make, have strategic consequences for the security of their nation.
‘Businesses need to be prepared for a war-time scenario and adjust their production and distribution lines accordingly,’ he said.
READ ALSO: G7 Ministers Discuss Middle East Ceasefire, Ukraine War
‘Ladies and Gentlemen, war is back on the European continent. And over the past years, more and more people in Europe realise that war can happen to them too… again.’
The 61-year-old also said large numbers of civilians would be needed if World War Three breaks out, adding that governments would need systems in place to manage the process.
He added: ‘We need public and private actors to change their mindset for an era in which everything was plannable, foreseeable, controllable and focused on efficiency to an era in which anything can happen at any time.
‘You need to be able to fall back on an industrial base that is able to produce weapons and ammunition fast enough to be able to continue a conflict if you are in it,’ reports Metro.
Admiral Bauer’s remarks at the Berlin Security Conference came after his warning earlier this year that people could be conscripted if Nato enters an all-out war with Russia.
Eastern Europe is all too familiar with the omnipresent threat from Russia – Finland, which shares a large land border with the nation, has an astounding 50,500 bomb shelters.
It’s a stark contrast to those available and operational in the United Kingdom and other Western European countries.
