So say in the 1990's the best case for Russia integrating with the west happens and Russia legitimately democratizes and joins NATO and the EU with out the goal of kicking the US out and has no subversive designs ( soft power is fine but nothing like how Russia behaved OTL or the very least those behaviors are severely curtailed) on former soviet and eastern block states. How would NATO decide which equipment and doctrines to choose for standardization and lets say after Russia has proved it self trustworthy the former soviet and and eastern block counties join NATO as well.
If Russia joined Nato in the 90's and the the US stayed in how would NATO decied how to standardize military equipemnt and doctrine.
- Thread starter VaultJumper
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Russia already produces it's weapons in NATO standard calibers for export, It would be a condition for entry that they eventually bring themselves to NATO standards, but they likely would achieve that until the mid to late 2000s and even then not completely.
small arms really wouldn't be the issue I think more planes and tanks. Also the Russian economy would be better so a lot of late Soviet and early Russian would be better.
120mm has been fitted to T-72s, I'm sure it can be fitted to T-80/90s. Similarly Russian Aircraft can be fitted to NATO standards, see the Polish MiG-29s.
cool I guess how would Russia joining NATO like this affect the arms trade because I they would probably receive pressure not to sell to certain clients they would probably be like France or Turkey in NATO.
They would stop selling to openly anti-western regimes, which would heavily disrupt the international arms market.
Expect to see increased domestic production in places like Iran, North Korea and Cuba and the development of a sort of "axis of evil" weapons cabal (Similar to what you saw with western "pariah States", Taiwan, Israel and South Africa in the 1980s) with technology sharing and joint weapons development.
Russia would still be a powerful force in the global arms market, both selling their "old" weapons and their new "NATO standard" weapons. Indeed they might even be more successful then in OTL, able to offer cheap, durable weapons that are integrated with "modern western technology"
A lot of Joint NATO weapons development is going to be disrupted, particularly the Joint Strike Fighter. But the biggest change will be to European defense.
Without an external Russian threat, expect western Europe to cut their defense budgets even closer to the bone. NATO will be without a designated foe, an organization without a mission. It may even lead to it's dissolution. Eastern Europe will still fear Russia, so expect little change there. Russia will still fear China and have trouble in central Asia, expect to see Russia defense reorient towards the far east, with token forces in the west.
Long term a Western Russia might become a "close" American ally, Russia is a Petro state and it's interests align with the US in several ways (Fight Islamic terrorism, contain China, keep European quiet and maintain the global petrodollar order and the stability it brings)
It would be interesting to see what aspects of Soviet/Russian military philosophy are maintained and what is abandoned. OTL Russia has been attempting to reform along western lines since the 1st Gulf War but institutional inertia and corruption has undermined these efforts.
I guess china would have a lot more influence in this time line with anti-western and I do wonder how it will effect American policy towards Cuba too. Central Asia will be far more intergrated into west in this time line.