With discussions around the end of war in Ukraine, NATO allies are left to ask a hard question: what comes next for the Alliance?
The consensus among the policy community is clear — Vladimir Putin's strategic objective is to dismantle NATO.
While some officials believe in the possibility of a conventional attack against a NATO ally before 2029, a growing number point to the more immediate danger of hybrid threats.
In fact, Russia has already begun testing NATO's resilience through sabotage operations against Europe’s critical infrastructure.
From attacks on DHL's logistics hubs in Germany to arson in Poland and Lithuania, Moscow is exploiting the vulnerabilities created by decades of deferred maintenance and insufficient investment from both governments and private sector.
If NATO is to safeguard its future, the Alliance must not only re-arm but also reinvest in the physical backbone of its deterrence: critical infrastructure.
The Kremlin has proven adept at weaponizing modernization itself.
Russia has used the gaps in the Western legal systems via its "gig economy" approach, enabling it to avoid attribution and responsibility.
Since 2022, hundreds of intelligence officers were expelled from European capitals, allowing the Kremlin to engage in online recruitment of third-country nationals to circumvent European counterintelligence measures.
These tactics serve a dual purpose: generating immediate military advantage in Ukraine and waging a broader campaign against the West.
In the first five months of 2025, publicly available information suggests there have been 25 incidents of sabotage, espionage and vandalism against NATO military infrastructure.
Europe’s railways — some of the oldest and most overstretched critical infrastructure —remain especially vulnerable.
Their centrality to NATO's military logistics makes them attractive targets: one disruption can halt movement for thousands of miles.
The Alliance needs to recognize that credible deterrence and defense relies on functioning logistics capability and invest in its improvement.
This is where NATO's Corridor 8 becomes indispensable.
The corridor runs east-west across the Balkans, connecting the Adriatic Sea to the Black Sea, passing through North Macedonia.
By connecting Albania's Adriatic coastline to Bulgaria's Black Sea ports, Corridor 8 functions as a logistical backbone, enabling the rapid deployment of forces and resources from west to east in times of need.
This strategic link is indispensable for sustaining NATO's readiness and operational responsiveness along Europe’s increasingly volatile Eastern Flank.
Additionally, being part of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), Corridor 8 enhances connectivity between Europe and Central Asia.
It helps to synchronize civilian infrastructure with NATO's Military Mobility initiative as same highways and railways used for trade can be upgraded to support the rapid deployment of heavy military equipment.
Under the leadership of Minister of Transport Aleksandar Nikoloski, North Macedonia has launched an ambitious upgrade of this corridor, supported by a landmark partnership with the United Kingdom.
Backed by £5 billion in UK Export Finance, this effort will strengthen NATO’s resilience, fuel economic growth in the Balkans, and reduce opportunities for Russian and Chinese exploitation.
Given the U.S. Blackstone's renewed interest in investing $500 billion in Europe over the next decade, North Macedonia's investment leadership becomes a trend to follow.
The Balkan country will undertake major upgrades along Corridor 8, focusing on critical highway segments stretching from the Albanian to the Bulgarian border.
The country's strategic goal is to complete all highway infrastructure along Corridor 8 by the end of 2028.
North Macedonia is also advancing upgrades, marked by construction of highways and expressways, on Corridor X, a north-south artery linking Central Europe to the Aegean Sea.
Passing through Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, and North Macedonia, with branches to Turkey and Bulgaria, Corridor X is the most direct land route between Central Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean.
For NATO, it functions as a strategic spine — an axis along which forces can be moved swiftly between Central Europe and Southeastern Europe.
Control and monitoring of the Corridor reduces opportunities for adversaries such as Russia and China to exploit gaps in Balkan infrastructure and conduct hybrid attacks.
As North Macedonia embraces its role as a regional leader and accelerates investment in these vital corridors, NATO must match this momentum.
Infrastructure resilience is not merely a Balkan issue — it's a matter of collective security.
If Russia’s strategy is to dismantle NATO through hybrid means, then the Alliance must prove it cannot be fractured.
For the American policy makers who understand that peace comes through strength, the lesson is unmistakable: NATO's future credibility depends on hard power backed by reliable infrastructure.
Washington should champion and support these infrastructure projects, not only to secure Europe’s eastern flank but to demonstrate that American leadership remains the cornerstone of transatlantic security.
The next war can challenge the foundations of NATO — be it a conventional attack against an ally or a hybrid attack on critical infrastructure — roads, railways and ports will become the determining factor on whether NATO can survive.
Col. Wes Martin, a retired U.S. Army colonel, has served in law enforcement positions around the world and holds a MBA in International Politics and Business. Read reports from Col. Wes Martin — More Here.
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