"We don't have adequate missile and air defense to protect our seaports, airports, and critical infrastructure," Hodges said.NATO's eastern flank has only 5% of the air defense capabilities necessary to deter an attack, the Financial Times reported in May. "We still... cannot move quickly throughout Europe, so the issue of military mobility is still a challenge that needs to be resolved," the retired general added.If Russia decided to attack NATO, its forces would immediately strike European transport infrastructure that the allies need to respond, the retired general commented."So imagine a week of what's happening in Ukraine to happen in Gdansk, or Klaipeda, or Tallinn, or Bremerhaven," Hodges noted. In the worst-case scenario, Lithuania would have to wait for two weeks for the arrival of reinforcements, the retired officer added.Echoing the words of his co-speaker, Romanian Defense Ministry State Secretary Simona Cojocaru, Hodges said that NATO militaries must be ready to roll out much faster than they currently can.According to the retired general, Western armies were ready for deployment within 24 hours during the Cold War, while today's militaries largely lack this mindset.NATO should have the "courage to acknowledge what you see as a threat, and then start pulling ammunition out of bunkers, starting deploying troops to be prepared, and then you can be ready to go in two or three days where the risk this.