Defence Ministers meeting to focus on future challenges

The 19 NATO Defence Ministers are meeting in Colorado Springs, United States, on Wednesday and Thursday, 8-9 October, for informal discussions on key issues and a crisis management study seminar.

Informal meetings of NATO Defence Ministers are held each year in addition to formal meetings held twice a year. Informal meetings have no fixed agenda and no formal decisions are taken; they are an opportunity for ministers to discuss freely key issues on the Alliance s agenda.

Discussions are expected to focus on the types of missions NATO might have to tackle in the future and whether the Alliance is equipped with the right forces and capabilities for these missions.

In particular, Defence Ministers will review the ongoing implementation of the NATO Response Force (NRF). The NRF is designed to be robust, at high readiness, fully trained and certified and prepared to tackle the full spectrum of missions, including force.

The activation of a first “prototype” NRF is scheduled for 15 October.

The ministers will also take part in Dynamic Response ’07, a crisis management study seminar designed to provide NATO leaders with an opportunity to examine the Alliance’s future security environment and NATO’s potential role.