Chairman of the NATO Military Committee visits Transatlantic Allies, United States and Canada

  • 04 Mar. 2018 - 12 Mar. 2018
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  • Last updated: 19 Mar. 2018 11:48

From 4 to 12 March, General Pavel, Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, visited the United States and Canada. In the US, General Pavel engaged in a discussion with the students of the West Point Military Academy before meeting with General Dunford, Chief of the Joint Staff. In Canada, General Pavel met with General Vance, Canadian Chief of Defence and attended discussions at the Canadian Armed Forces College. The visit concluded in Norfolk where CMC held talks with the Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, General Mercier.

Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, General Petr Pavel kicked off the American part of his transatlantic trip with a visit to the prestigious West Point Military Academy. While on campus, General Pavel met with Ambassador Douglas Lute, former US Permanent Representative to NATO who hosted a discussion with a group of cadets on the importance of the transatlantic bond in the current and future security environment. General Pavel stressed that “only by standing together and protecting each other can we overcome the current security challenges”.

General Pavel then headed to George Washington University in Washington, DC to engage in a discussion with journalists from the Defense Writers Group. Later that day, General Pavel sat down with Senator Jeanne Shaheen, one of the main drivers of the revival of the Senate NATO Observer Group. General Pavel acknowledged the initiative as being a “clear example of the US support to the Alliance and a clear demonstration of how strong the transatlantic bond is”.

Before leaving for Canada, General Pavel met with General Dunford, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who presented General Pavel with the Legion of Merit during a ceremony at Whipple Field where more than 250 service members participated. The Legion of Merit is the highest award American leaders can bestow on foreigners.

In Ottawa, General Pavel had a meeting with General Vance, Canadian Chief of Defence. The Generals discussed ongoing NATO Adaptation and the NATO Command Structure as well as Canada’s contributions to NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence. General Pavel thanked Canada for “being such a great Ally and for your commitment to Transatlantic security”. While at the National Defence Headquarters, the Chairman of the NATO Military Committee interacted with senior officers of the National Security Programme and highlighted the importance of the NATO-Canada relationship.

Later that day, General Pavel gave a presentation with a group of students from the Joint Command & Staff Programme at the Canadian Forces College in Toronto, to share NATO’s perspective on the changing security environment and the current challenges and future challenges.

Before heading back to Brussels, General Pavel paid a visit to NATO's Allied Command Transformation where he held talks with the Commander, General Denis Mercier and other Flag Officers.