Defence Ministers discuss boosting NATO’s capabilities
Meeting at NATO HQ on 9 June, NATO Ministers of Defence have discussed new ideas for further transforming the Alliance’s capability to take on 21 st century military operations where and when necessary.
Meetingat NATO HQ on 9-10 June, NATO Ministers of Defence have discussed newideas for further transforming the Alliance’s capability to take on21st century military operations where and when necessary.
Ministers agreed that a number of changes are necessary, including inthe way the Alliance’s operations are financed, a collective approachto logistics, better intelligence sharing, improving the predictabilityof how many forces can be deployed, and a more comprehensive focus onpost-conflict stabilization.
Speaking to reporters, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer stressed however that this was not “a short-term discussion”, but one that will need more time.
Looking at the nuts and bolts
The importance of closer co-operation with other international organisations was also discussed.
“We had a good look at the nuts and bolts of how this organization works,” Mr. De Hoop Scheffer said.
The Ministers reviewed the state of play regarding existing initiativesand commitments aimed at improving the usability and deployability ofNATO countries’ forces.
This included the cutting-edgeNATO Response Force, which is the engine of NATO’s transformation andis due to achieve full operational capability in October 2006.
Ministers also discussed the way ahead for NATO's operations inAfghanistan, Kosovo and the Mediterranean, its mission in Iraq and thedetails of NATO's assistance to the African Union for Darfur.
Co-operationwith partner countries in defence reform, the fight against terrorism,and the contribution of partner countries to NATO-led operations andmissions was discussed in meetings of the NATO-Russia Council, theNATO-Ukraine Commission and the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council.