News

Dutch and Czech forces from one of NATO’s battlegroups in the eastern part of the Alliance are taking part in cold weather training in Lithuania. This month, soldiers are learning how to survive in extreme weather conditions.

Members of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NPA) visited NATO Headquarters in Brussels on Monday (18 February 2019) for an exchange of views with the North Atlantic Council.

From 16 to 17 February 2019, the Deputy Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, Lieutenant General Steven Shepro attended the International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg gave a keynote speech to the Munich Security Conference on Friday (15 February 2019). Mr Stoltenberg stressed that in a more unpredictable security environment it was essential to have strong multilateral frameworks; strong defence; and strong transatlantic cooperation.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg wrapped up two days of important discussions between Allied Defence Ministers in Brussels today (Thursday 14 February 2019). Ministers discussed arms control, current operations and missions, burden-sharing, and European defence. The Secretary General described the Alliance as “in good shape” as its approaches its 70th anniversary in Washington in April.

NATO Defence Ministers are meeting today (13 February 2019) to begin two days of talks on pressing security challenges, including Russia’s violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. Ministers will discuss efforts to strengthen the Alliance’s deterrence and defence, and review NATO missions in Afghanistan, Kosovo, Iraq and the maritime area. Burden-sharing and NATO-EU cooperation will also be high on the agenda.

Allied Defence Ministers discussed at NATO Headquarters on Wednesday (13 February 2019) the consequences of Russia’s breach of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said after the meeting that Russia’s SSC-8 missile system is a significant risk to the security of the Alliance. Mr. Stoltenberg stressed that Russia still has a six month window to come back into compliance with the INF Treaty and it should take this opportunity.

On Wednesday (13 February 2019), the Defence Ministers from Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to establish a Regional Special Operations Component Command (R-SOCC) in the margins of the meetings of NATO Defence Ministers in Brussels. Partner nation Austria will sign the LOI immediately following the NATO Defence Ministerial Meeting. This makes this initiative another example of close cooperation between NATO Allies and partners.

Scientists from France, Israel, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine and the United States received the prestigious 2018 Science for Peace and Security Programme (SPS) Prize for excellent collaboration in NATO multi-year science projects in the fields of cyber defence, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) defence, and advanced technologies.

NATO Defence Ministers will meet in Brussels this week at a critical time for transatlantic security. In a press conference (on Tuesday 12 February) ahead of the two-day meeting, NATO’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced important discussions on the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, NATO’s defence and deterrence posture, NATO’s missions and operations, and European cooperation on defence.