Cyber Defence, Afghanistan tops NATO June Ministerial Agenda
NATO Defence Ministers will hold a first round-table discussion dedicated to cyber defence at their two-day June ministerial talks which start on Tuesday (4 June 2013). The mission in Afghanistan, capabilities and a meeting of the NATO-Georgia Commission also feature on the ministerial agenda.
The ministerial will start with a working session on Allied capabilities and assess progress in filling key capability gaps. A separate session is planned entirely devoted to cyber defence, during which the ministers are expected to take stock of existing measures to protect NATO networks and examine areas where Allies can cooperate further.
Wednesday’s meetings will focus on progress of the Afghan mission, specifically transition to Afghan security lead and planning for the new mission to train, advise and assist Afghan security forces after 2014. The NATO Defence Ministers will meet with their counterparts from the 22 non-NATO countries which contribute to the ISAF mission. The Afghan Defence Minister Bismellah Mohammadi, the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton and the UN Secretary General’s Special representative Jan Kubis are expected to attend.
The NATO Defence Ministers will also participate in a session of the NATO-Georgia Commission together with Georgia’s Defence Minister Irakli Alasania to discuss future cooperation and the country’s defence reform plans.