NATO IMS and EUMS Senior Military Officials discuss enhanced EU-NATO cooperation
Lieutenant General Jan Broeks, Director General of the NATO International Military Staff (DG IMS), together with Lieutenant General Esa Pulkkinen, Director General of the European Union Military Staff (DG EUMS), chaired the IMS-EUMS Director Generals’ Conference on 1 December 2017 at the EUMS Headquarters. The main aim of this conference was to further enhance the cooperation between the IMS and EUMS staff.
Lieutenant General Pulkkinen opened the conference by stating that EU-NATO cooperation is experiencing a tangible momentum since the Joint Declaration was released by our leaders in Warsaw last year, with EUMS and NATO IMS duly involved and fully committed in the process. Lieutenant General Broeks emphasized the importance of these staff to staff meetings as “these meetings are not only important to guide the military cooperation of both organisations, but are part of a larger effort to increase NATO-EU cooperation”.
Among the various topics discussed, particular attention was dedicated to EU-NATO cooperation in fields such as information exchange, logistics and cyber defence, exercises, training and education. During the conference, the participants discussed the status of the ongoing implementation of the EU-NATO Joint Declaration and were informed about the state of play regarding the EU Military Planning and Conduct Capability, as well as on the newly established NATO Strategic Direction South-Hub.
The DGs’ Conference is held twice a year with the participation of the Directors of all EUMS Directorates and IMS Divisions and has been ongoing since 2013. The last meeting was held on 29 May 2017 at the NATO Headquarters.