Meetings at Chiefs of Staff level at NATO Headquarters

NATO’s Chiefs of Defence met on 5 and 6 May 2004 at NATO HQ for high-level military discussions. NATO’s Military Committee in Chiefs of Staff format is NATO’s highest military forum for such discussions, which traditionally oversee every aspect of NATO’s military policy, doctrine and operations. General Harald Kujat, Chairman of the Military Committee presided over the meetings where, for the first time, 26 nations were represented at the table.

Mr. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, NATO’s Secretary General was invited to address this historic meeting. He emphasised NATO’s role not only as the premier forum for transatlantic political consultations on security issues but also as a collective defence organisation. As such, he underlined the importance of the Committee’s work at the heart of the Alliance. The Military Committee’s main task is to give advice to the Secretary General and the North Atlantic Council on all military matters.

A wide range of issues was covered during two days of intensive discussions over four sessions: with the NATO member nations, with Ukraine, with the Euro-Atlantic Partners, and with Russia, including the following:

• The CHODs were updated by General Jones, SACEUR on the status of NATO’s current missions in the Balkans and Afghanistan.
• Vice Admiral Sir Paul Haddacks, Director of the international Military Staff gave a résumé of a number of issues taken up after the Prague Summit and Colorado Springs Ministerials, and their current status, setting the scene for further discussion.
• Admiral Giambastiani, SACT outlined possible ways and means to further transform Defence Planning, thus enabling NATO’s Commands and Forces to better meet the complex security challenges of the 21st century.
• Colonel General Zatynaiko, the Ukrainian CHOD provided a very substantial presentation on the “Ukraine Strategic Defence Bulletin” for the period up to 2015. This Paper serves as the rationale for an ambitious plan to restructure Ukraine’s Armed Forces.
• General Roland Ertl, the Austrian CHOD gave an in-depth account of his forces’ experience with NATO’s Operational Capabilities Concept Programme, which forms an essential part of military Partnership for Peace, and a positive milestone towards interoperability of NATO and NATO Partner forces.
• General Kvashnin, the Russian CHOD, together with the NATO member nation CHODs were given a status report on work undertaken since the Rome Summit, focussing on achievements in various areas such as Military-to-Military Exercises and Training, Search and Rescue at Sea, Theatre Missile Defence(TMD), and Logistics and academic contacts. CHODs discussed the recent Russia/NATO Theatre Missile Defence Command Post Exercise, which will form a basis for future TMD training and exercises.