Video interview

Q: Hello Mr. Billingslea.

Billingslea: Hi.

Q: First of all could you explain the role of the Defence Investment Division and then tell us what role it plays in NATO's fight against terrorism?

Billingslea: The Defence Investment Division is the Division responsible to the Secretary General for a variety of technological and financial issues. We provide this sort of advice to NATO and to the Secretary General. We are at the forefront of the fight against terrorism in three main respects:

First and foremost we have a variety of budget duties in supporting the various decision making bodies of NATO to make sure that the operational commander in the field has the right kind of equipment, at the right time, in order to carry out his missions.

Secondly, we support the Conference of National Armaments Directors and the NC3 Board who are together the senior decision makers within each of the NATO nations making the day to day decisions on what technologies and what capabilities to invest in for their militaries and we support these decision makers.

We also have a unit that is entirely devoted to things such as air policing and counter renegade aircraft efforts.

So in short that's the type of work that we're doing in the defence against terrorism field.

Q: In practical and concrete terms, what programs and projects are being put into place to fight terrorism?

Billingslea: I'm gratified that for the first time ever this past week the Conference of National Armaments Directors has decided to create a single consolidated program of work for defence against terrorism.

As part of that program they have agreed on eight specific measures to build future capabilities to combat terrorism. The capabilities that I'm talking about range from, for instance, better technology to protect harbours and vessel when abroad from surface and underwater threats; technology to protect large bodied aircraft, transport aircraft, even civilian airliners from shoulder fired surface to air missiles. A program to protect helicopters from rocket propelled grenades and ground threats, so on an so forth.

There are eight of these measures and the Conference has decided to move forward rapidly through the technology phase, through research and design work and possibly into future acquisition efforts.

Q: And which additional measures would you like to see NATO taking in the field of anti-terrorism?

Billingslea: For the moment I am very satisfied with where we stand. This is a new effort, a new initiative; there's certainly more work that needs to be done. We need to move forward rapidly into executing the eight areas that I have identified and to making sure that those programs yield practical real world results and that they do so in a very timely fashion. We have people in the field today, NATO nations are deployed across the globe today in the fight against terrorism and they need the technology, they need the capability now; not two-three-five-ten years from now, they need it now.

In the future I hope that NATO will further add to this program of work. I think we need to look at, for instance, ultra high precision weaponry, non lethal technology to assist in a variety of different kinds of operations. These are areas that I think NATO ought to look at. I also think that improved speed in the field of connectivity between sensors and shooters is a very high... highly important area as is improved surveillance, reconnaissance and intelligence capability. So those areas that I hope we will invest in the future.

Q: You have professional experience in counter terrorism. In which direction do you see NATO going in this area?

Billingslea: In general I think NATO's moving in a very positive direction. There have been a variety of developments since I just came on the job a few months ago. NATO is increasingly involving itself in better mechanisms to share intelligence information about the terrorist threat. As I've pointed out we now have this new push on armaments work, I... generally speaking I assess a very positive health direction.

The Alliance is clearly committed, is clearly determined to be relentless in its pursuit of these terrorists and to prevent them from conducting any further attacks.

Q: Will the fight against terrorism be your Division's main objective in the coming years?

Billingslea: Absolutely.

Q: Okay, thank you very much.