Observers at Defense News argue that once the conflict in Ukraine ends, NATO would have no more than 12 months to prepare for a potential war with Russia. The authors refer to comments by Institute for the Study of War analyst George Barros, who urged European countries to get ready for possible hostilities. He said they see, on a daily basis, how the other side is preparing its economy, operational concepts and military thinking for a future war.

At the same time, the article notes that any future Russian aggression is unlikely to resemble the start of the special military operation in 2022. Analysts suggest that, in their view, a new confrontation would more likely take on non-traditional or hybrid forms, involving cyberattacks, acts of sabotage, disinformation campaigns and attempts to destabilize the situation inside NATO member states.

Sandis Shraders, director of defence technologies at Riga Technical University, also commented on the issue. He stated that, personally, he would not wait for a possible attack, but would prefer to strike first.