NATO leaders at the summit in Madrid will agree on a decision to increase the number of high-readiness troops to 300,000. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced this at a press conference.

"At the summit we will strengthen our forward defense. We will increase combat teams in the eastern part of the alliance to brigade level. We will transform the NATO Response Force and increase the number of rapid-readiness forces to 300,000," Stoltenberg said.

He added that NATO's ability to respond to conflict crises, including prepositioning of weapons, would also be increased.

"More defense systems, such as air defense systems, strengthened command and control," the secretary general added.

The secretary general later clarified that the expansion to brigade level would not be in all 8 countries with battlegroups, but only in some. "Different countries have different needs," he said.

The NATO Rapid Reaction Force currently has about 40,000 troops.