YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 10, ARMENPRESS.  NATO defense ministers on Wednesday approved a new multinational force to beef up defenses of frontline alliance members most at risk from Russia, “Armenpress” reports, citing Daily Mail, the alliance's secretary general announced.

Jens Stoltenberg said the new unit approved by the United States and NATO's 27 other members will be multinational and rotate in and out of Eastern European member states rather than being based there. He said military planners will decide on its composition this spring.

The new force "will be multinational to make clear that an attack against one ally is any attack against all allies and that the alliance as a whole will respond," Stoltenberg told a news conference following the first session of the two-day defense ministers' meeting.

Getting firm commitments, or even deciding how many NATO troops should be rotated eastward, may take time, however. Douglas Lute, U.S. ambassador to NATO, said he expected ministers this week to agree on "a framework" but that actual force levels will probably be hammered out only after consultations with NATO's supreme commander in Europe, U.S. Force Gen. Philip Breedlove.

One NATO official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to make public statements, told The Associated Press one proposal being considered calls for the creation of a brigade-sized unit: roughly 3,000 troops.

Reinforcing NATO's presence in Poland and other allies close to Russia "will send a clear signal," Stoltenberg said earlier Wednesday. "NATO will respond as one to any aggression against any ally."