NATO has a full agenda on its plate as it segues from 2014 to the new year. In what is being referred to as “the biggest reinforcement of NATO’s collective defense since the end of the Cold War,” high on the Alliance’s list for 2015 is a renewed focus on Europe and the coordination and creation of a new high-tech, well-equipped rapid reaction task force earmarked to keep an eye on Russian forces.

Turning the page, at least for the moment, on combat operations in Afghanistan (NATO officially bowed out of operations at the star of the new year), the priority for NATO now is to get this new multinational expeditionary force into operation. No less important however will be deciding the question of who will pay for outfitting, training and maintaining the operation.

The roots for the new team were first made apparent in September of last year. The proposed new reactionary force, nicknamed “Spearhead,” came to life under the pen of President Obama and other NATO leaders as a loggerhead to Vladimir Putin whose idea for the present and future glory of Russia is often seen as ambiguous as the leader himself.

Working closely with President Obama is NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, only three months into his new position as NATO’s top-ranking civilian official. According to an Associated Press news article, Stoltenberg is committed to getting the rapid-reaction force off the ground on time and on budget so it will be deployable to reinforce the efforts of alliance members dedicated to keeping the peace in Europe.

One of NATO’s biggest challenges in the coming year will concern narrowing its focus on the Alliance’s main reason for being: that of ensuring the security of the alliance’s members and promoting stability in Europe.

According to the head of the European Security and Defense Economics project at the Polish Institute of International Affairs in Warsaw, Marcin Terlikowski, in an effort to upgrade alliance capabilities and as a reaction to Moscow’s aggression, President Obama and the other NATO leaders created and approved what is called the Readiness Action Plan. Its goal: to cement NATO’s presence and commitment not only in the eyes of Russia but the eyes of Europe as well.

While it is no secret that NATO leaders have taken collective defense for granted for many years some parameters of what has been officially named the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force are already making headway: NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg has underscored his commitment to see the prototype reactionary force formed this year with a ground component of several thousand troops largely contributed by Germany, Norway and the Netherlands.

Concurrent to the formation will be the all-important questions of deciding what the end-game of this force will be, by who and how it will be commanded and where the force will be based. Furthermore, any discussion about the rapid reactionary force is also about money. It might seem logical that all eyes will be looking to Germany, which is by far NATO’s wealthiest and most populated member in Europe. But the reality is if this plan is to reach fruition as many NATO members as possible must contribute to footing the bill and aiding in its formation.