http://www.nato.intWhat´s new at NATO Headquarters?enNATONATO nations took an important step towards the delivery of a NATO-owned and operated ground surveillance and reconnaissance capability. A procurement contract for the AGS system was signed on 20 May 2012 in the margins of the NATO Summit in Chicago, paving the way for the the delivery of a vital capability that will be made available to all NATO member nations. Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) will be a NATO-owned and operated system and will be fully operational in 2017.http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_87544.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-1376c7c9d13-aedee0295ca5dc0220 May. 2012NATO leaders declared that the Alliance now has an interim ballistic missile defence capability at their summit in Chicago on 21 May, marking the first step in the development of a NATO missile-defence system.http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_87599.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-1376cb4dffc-dbc8475b103ef24920 May. 2012NATO leaders gathered in Chicago on 20 May for a summit that will ready the North Atlantic Alliance to tackle the challenges of the future.http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_87457.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-1376add6f86-ed728fc648ce23a020 May. 2012NATO’s Chicago Summit opened on 20 May with a tribute to all the servicemen and -women deployed on Alliance operations.http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_87504.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-1376ce7ec41-3642a951db5dec5d20 May. 2012NATO leaders reached agreements in Chicago that will enable the Alliance to provide security for the decade to come and beyond.http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_87600.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-1376cb1356f-adc7b0a08321f12c20 May. 2012Arriving in Chicago on 19 May 2012 on the eve of the NATO Summit, Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen opened a conference gathering young professionals and students from NATO and partner countries from across the globe.http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_87458.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-137657a690a-a2ee3f6a25ab165919 May. 2012NATO has begun the final countdown to its summit in Chicago – a summit that will ready the North Atlantic Alliance to tackle the challenges of the future.http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_87431.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-13765918b45-80f4df851f6dd9f419 May. 2012http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_87263.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-13755e7b67a-7d32cb25e0ad055a16 May. 2012NATO conducted the campaign for Libya with unprecedented care and precision and to a standard exceeding that required by international humanitarian law. The mission was fully consistent with the United Nations mandate and saved countless lives.http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_87171.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-1374ba8a6cd-6f5d229f521de3af14 May. 2012I welcome President Karzai's announcement confirming the third group of Afghan provinces, cities and districts to make the move to Afghan security lead. This means that the Afghan National Security Forces will soon have lead security responsibility for three quarters of the Afghan population.http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_87141.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-13745db4358-55cbb91c2682628613 May. 2012The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iraq, Mr. Hoshyar Zebari visited the NATO Headquarters on 11 May 2012 and met with NATO Deputy Secretary General Ambassador Alexander Vershbow.http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_87126.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-1373b832fa6-83aeb0a2ab90c93511 May. 2012The NATO Spokesperson, Mrs. Oana Lungescu, will hold a pre-summit press briefing in Luns Room (NATO HQ) at 14:00 on Wednesday 16 May 2012. She will be accompanied by two NATO experts who will brief on the priorities of the NATO Summit in Chicago.http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_87138.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-1373c6d64a5-7c8e15240d2352cf11 May. 2012Afghanistan, future capabilities and strengthening partnerships will top the agenda of next week’s Chicago Summit, said NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen on 11 May 2012.http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_87077.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-1373b8b9b90-1ec667ab94bf659b11 May. 2012Managers of the SILK-Afghanistan project will undergo training in cyber defence at the Informatics Institute of the Middle East Technical University (METU) in Ankara, Turkey from 21 May to 1 June. The training, funded by the NATO Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Programme, demonstrates NATO's long-term commitment to Afghanistan during the transition phase and beyond.http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_86990.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-137323b7ca6-f1566d34da162b1910 May. 2012NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen held talks to prepare for this month’s Chicago Summit with US President Barack Obama at the White House on 9 May 2012. The Secretary General and the US president discussed the summit agenda ahead of the 20-21 May high-level meeting which will be NATO’s largest summit, gathering representatives from around 60 nations and organisations.http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_87006.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-13732f7b51e-50ea0daac1d66e5709 May. 2012http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_86978.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150a-1373123e2e1-98ec0957407bc78209 May. 2012MONS, Belgium - Following the inauguration of the new Comprehensive Crisis and Operations Management Centre (CCOMC) early May 2012, the NATO Military Committee (MC) visited SHAPE and the CCOMC premises, today. The CCOMC is part of SHAPE's Transition Program, and it will contribute to deliver a more flexible and agile Alliance, ready to respond to 21st Century crises, in a more and more effective way.http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_86912.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-1371de59f71-bcfd7af8aca7439b05 May. 2012The NATO Spokesperson will hold a press briefing in Luns Room (NATO HQ) on Monday 7 May 2012 at 13h45. She will be joined via video-teleconference by General Stéphane Abrial, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, who will brief on Defence reform and Smart Defense issues.http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_86853.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-13716ff6e7f-86f1a7d9fde5877404 May. 2012Preparations for the 25th NATO Summit are well underway in US President Obama’s hometown of Chicago, Illinois. The city will welcome thousands of visitors to the event on 20 and 21 May.http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_86891.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-13718711aa8-92fcd4319b87a03704 May. 2012NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen stressed the importance of Smart Defence as the answer to pressure on defence budgets in talks with Italian leaders in Rome on 27 April 2012.http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_86715.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-136f4443232-1430e09ba37e848727 Apr. 2012Brussels, 26 April 2012 – Chiefs of Defence from NATO member and NATO Partner countries have concluded two days of meetings at NATO Headquarters. Chaired by General Knud Bartels, Chairman of the Military Committee, NATO’s highest-level military gathered in Brussels to discuss key security issues. Discussions focused on NATO operations in Afghanistan and Kosovo, Lessons Identified in Libya, military cooperation with Partners and issues in anticipation of the Chicago Summit (20-21 May 2012).http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_86648.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-136ef6548ef-dad6d936648b3bf426 Apr. 2012The NATO Spokesperson, Mrs. Oana Lungescu, will hold a pre-ministerial press briefing in Brosio Room (NATO HQ) at 11h00 on Monday 16 April 2012. She will be accompanied by two NATO experts who will brief on upcoming Ministerial discusions related to defence capabilities and Afghanistan.http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_85940.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-136a6e123d9-d915ec1354b6d1a612 Apr. 2012NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen on 12 April expressed the Alliance’s continued strong commitment to Afghanistan after talks with President Hamid Karzai in Kabul.http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_85885.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-136a5d9283c-3cb91e3303384c0012 Apr. 2012On 10 April 2012, the Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bakir Izetbegović, visited NATO Headquarters and met with Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_85837.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-1369b79f73b-aba95ed5b125fffd10 Apr. 2012More than half the casualties among the NATO forces in Afghanistan in 2011 were caused by improvised explosive devices (IED)¹. This is also the case for one in three Afghans killed last year². In 2010, NATO adopted an action plan on counter-IED(C-IED) aimed at increasing the detection and neutralization of such devices, as well as the dismantling of the networks that manufacture them. The NATO C3 Agency (NC3A) is responsible for developing those advanced technologies to combat IEDs.http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_85793.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-1369b3de8be-81b82f0b1cf7683010 Apr. 2012Around midnight, Afghan soldiers pour out of two Chinook helicopters. They walk single file in the pitch-dark of the barren mountain tops. The silence of the valley is broken only occasionally by barking dogs.http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_85786.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-136828f9c7c-b3e603c97fab49c205 Apr. 2012The Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mr. Bakir Izetbegovic will visit NATO Headquarters on Tuesday 10 April 2012. He will meet with the NATO Secretary General, Mr. Anders Fogh Rasmussen and will attend the North Atlantic Council.http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_85784.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-13681c4fb5a-35471fc7e292eb7e05 Apr. 2012Vilnius, 4 April 2012 - LtGen Jürgen Bornemann, Director General of the International Military Staff (DGIMS), paid an official visit to Lithuania on invitation of the Chief of Defense of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, LtGen Arvydas Pocius.http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_85781.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-1367d82d344-a4d2bff472e4400504 Apr. 2012HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan — The final area of Lashkar Gah to transfer to Afghan security control has been handed over at a ceremony at Checkpoint Dosti (meaning friendship in Pashtun).http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_85773.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-13678c23a58-53a97992596aa4603 Apr. 2012The NATO Information and Documentation Centre and the Institute of Journalism of the Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University jointly sponsored a nationwide university student video competition entitled, “Security: A view from Ukraine’s young generation.” Running from December 2011 to March 2012, the future journalists used their skills to present their views on national security to the public using creative and informational video reports.http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_85755.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-136783fe83e-c6b5124463c13aad03 Apr. 2012NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen praised Georgia’s commitment to NATO and to domestic reforms on 3 April as he welcomed President Mikheil Saakashvili to the Alliance’s headquarters in Brussels.http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_85721.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-1367760469b-f0584b812396d60903 Apr. 2012Leading NATO officials and female representatives from Tunisia, Jordan, Libya, Yemen, Morocco and Rwanda discussed progress made in promoting the role of women in peace and security at a conference from 28-29 March.http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_85624.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-13663285627-1c03ed0f79b43d2430 Mar. 2012'You are a highly appreciated partner and contributor': these were the words of welcome and appreciation that the NATO Secretary General expressed to the group of visiting Australian parliamentarians at NATO Headquarters today. 'In today's world where the defence of our borders may take us far away, we realize that we cannot accomplish our security mission without our Partners around the Globe', Mr. Rasmussen said. 'In this respect, operations in Afghanistan and Australia's considerable contribution to the International Security Assistance Force Afghanistan (ISAF) since 2006 are a 'clear testimony of it'' he added.http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_85591.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-1365cc0848a-a1fc5e8f073d322b29 Mar. 2012On 27 March 2012, less than two months from the NATO Summit in Chicago, a conference on "NATO and EU long-term commitment to Afghanistan" was held at the European Parliament. The conference was organised by the Brussels-based NGO Human Rights without Frontiers International. The Afghan Ambassador to Belgium, as well representatives from NATO, the European Union and the NGO community spoke at the event. The initiative attracted a large number of representatives from the think-tank community, civil society, the diplomatic corps, and the media.http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_85607.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-1365f721134-4e10b2dd397827dc29 Mar. 2012The NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen met today with Nobel Peace Prize winner Mrs Tawakkol Karman, from Yemen, and peace activist Ms Hibaaq Osman, from Somalia, in the margins of a NATO-sponsored conference on women, peace and security.http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_85596.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-1365e853cf7-68872d253492129129 Mar. 2012The loss of life on a migrant boat in the Mediterranean in late March last year was a very tragic incident. To help determine what happened, NATO provided a significant amount of information to the Council of Europe.http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_85613.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-1365f44d853-cdce6f389472d55029 Mar. 2012''Terrorists hijack a passenger cruise ship in international waters and threaten to sink it if their demands are not met within 48 hours. The hostages aboard include citizens of a number of NATO-Russia Council (NRC) countries.'' This was the fictitious scenario for a counter-terrorism tabletop exercise organized under the NRC, at NATO Headquarters on 26 and 27 March 2012.http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_85606.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-136732defea-8e2e7088febc1c2729 Mar. 2012http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_85582.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-136598a27f1-270abd02793898b928 Mar. 201208:58, 28 March 2012 – the claxon shrieks at Tampere Air Base in Finland. Four minutes later, two F-18 Hornet fighter jets from the Finnish Air Force take off. Their mission – to intercept an aircraft that is not complying with international air traffic regulations. Since the attacks of 11 September 2001, the surveillance of European airspace is a sensitive topic for the Alliance member States and their partners.http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_85569.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-13659ea70b6-13c60e202a34dce828 Mar. 2012Have you ever wanted to know how the Alliance works from the inside? On 26 March, NATO began taking internship applications for 2013. Young graduates and research students from a wide range of academic disciplines are invited to apply by 30 April 2012.http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_85511.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-1364e47e551-2b1c7af354a5623726 Mar. 2012On 20 and 21 May 2012, Chicago will host the NATO Summit. During the Summit, more than 50 Heads of State and Government will come together to deliver on decisions taken at the Lisbon Summit in November 2010, driving forward key Alliance policies and reaffirming the transatlantic link.http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_85375.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-1363a3e2ef1-144c49f8c70f98f22 Mar. 2012Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen met with Prime Minister Igor Lukšić of Montenegro on 21 March 2012 and discussed the growing cooperation between NATO and Montenegro and reform efforts in his country.http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_85233.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-13636128dee-359270649d22c72421 Mar. 2012Afghan culture is based primarily on trust. To build an effective partnership with the people in Afghanistan is to earn their trust. The same can be said about working with explosives, as the team relies on an enormous amount of trust.http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_85279.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-136355bc301-1c650fb046bfe43421 Mar. 2012The NATO Secretary General Mr Anders Fogh Rasmussen welcomed the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Mr Jacob Kellenberger at NATO Headquarters on 20 March 2012 for an exchange of views on a range of issues, including the NATO-led operation in Afghanistan and the recent conflict in Libyahttp://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_85263.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-1363185e2c2-99090787a2d76da420 Mar. 2012NATO Allies agreed on 19 March to extend the Alliance’s counter piracy naval operation Ocean Shield, which operates off the Horn of Africa to protect merchant traffic from pirate attacks, for a further two years until the end of 2014.http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_85230.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-136307640bc-582b2511fef1a5f619 Mar. 2012http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_85164.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-1360de2dc7a-d073130480ea409e13 Mar. 2012The proliferation of ballistic missiles poses an increasing threat to Allied populations, territory and deployed forces. This is the reason why the Netherlands decided to contribute to NATO’s Missile Defence system.http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_85153.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-1360cde55a7-c4176e3a13d5c78413 Mar. 2012Cyber warfare is war without any noise, tanks or aircraft. Currently, it is a profitable, relatively risk-free and anonymous crime. It is often difficult to identify the origin or perpetrators of the attack - and this is the main problem. In order to be more effective, all the parties involved must work together: NATO, the private sector, international organizations, academia. By the end of 2012, a rapid reaction team (RRT) capability of NATO cyber defence experts will be operational.http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_85161.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-1360cf82e17-4c2f81327930fd7913 Mar. 2012NATO places a high priority on preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and defending against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threats.http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_85132.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-136080b2d4c-d44321942d060ecd12 Mar. 2012His Royal Highness, Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark met with the NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen during a visit to NATO Headquarters in Brussels today.http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C7AF5495-28FCBCAB/natolive/news_85086.htmstandardcontentimpl-c0a8150b-135f343aced-979dfe65d5a7770d08 Mar. 2012