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| Nuclear, biological
and chemical defence in focus |
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A fictional video dramatization illustrating the dangers
and difficulties that NATO forces would face if attacked
by nuclear, biological or chemical weapons is now available
online.
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| Operational testing of NATO high
readiness HQ finalised |
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A military exercise held in Italy in early December -“Light
Ship 02” - marked the end of the operational testing
of the last of six rapidly deployable corps headquarters
available to NATO.
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| Defence planning after Prague |
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The SHAPE School in Oberammergau, Germany, is hosting two
symposia on meeting defence planning challenges post-Prague.
The symposia are being held between 13 and 17 January and
focus on NATO-specific and partner-specific issues.
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| Exercise Rapid Guardian 2003 |
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From 15 January to 15 February, Reserve forces are putting
into practice a new operational concept that will enable
them to deploy more rapidly and deal with any military contingency
in Kosovo and the region.
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| Civil-military cooperation taken
to a new level |
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| Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC)
Group North, based in the Netherlands, formally received
its status as an international NATO military headquarters
on 15 January. It started as a multinational initiative
launched by NATO to which six members responded (the Czech
Republic, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and
Poland).
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| Workshop on vulnerability to radiological
risks |
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The vulnerability of civilian populations to the risk of
radiological contamination was examined by four working
groups during a NATO workshop held in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler,
Germany, 15-17 January. The working groups focused respectively
on threat assessment, detection, decontamination and countermeasures
around a scenario that brought into play the re-entry of
a satellite containing radio-nuclear material that was going
to break up and disperse.
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| Workshop on Bio-terrorism preparedness
in Central and Eastern Europe |
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| A NATO Advanced Research Workshop on
"Preparedness against bio-terrorism and re-emerging
infectious diseases - regional capabilities, needs and expectations
in Central and Eastern European countries" was held
in Warsaw from 15-18 January.
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| Lord Robertson meets Greek EU presidency |
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The question of how to make a reality of the huge bonus
of linking the European Union's capabilities with NATO's
security and defence assets dominated discussions between
NATO Secretary General, Lord Robertson and the Greek EU
presidency in Athens, on 16 January.
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| New SACEUR - General James L. Jones |
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A change of command ceremony took place at the Supreme HQ
Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), Mons, on 17 January. The new
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe (SACEUR) took up his functions.
General Joseph W. Ralston, US Air Force, was succeeded by
General James L. Jones, US Marine Corps.
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| New link on the Virtual Silk Highway
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A ceremony of inauguration was held in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic,
on 17 January, to launch the Kyrgyz link in the “Virtual
Silk Highway”. The Virtual Silk Highway is a NATO
project that provides satellite-based networking to the
academic communities of Central Asia and the Caucasus.
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| High-level seminar focuses on NATO’s
military transformation |
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“Open Road 2003”, a major meeting held in Norfolk,
United States, 20-21 January brought together senior decision-makers
to discuss NATO’s military transformation after the
Prague Summit.
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| SFOR restructuring completed |
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In January, the NATO-led peacekeeping force in Bosnia and
Herzegovina (SFOR) completed the process of restructuring
into a smaller, but more robust and operationally agile
force.
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| Secretary General addresses
World Economic Forum |
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Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland,
NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson underscored the need
for improved defence capabilities in the face of a volatile
security environment.
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| NATO begins accession
talks with invitees |
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Seven invited countries have now formally begun accession
talks to join the Alliance. This is the first of five main
stages in the accession process.
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| Secretary General visits Finland |
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NATO’s transformation and its co-operation with
partner country Finland were the main topics discussed
during a two-day visit by NATO Secretary General Lord
Robertson, 30-31 January.
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| Conference on Russia and the expanding
Euro-Atlantic community |
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The relationship between Russia and the new members
of the Euro-Atlantic community from Central and Eastern
Europe was the focus of a NATO-sponsored conference held
in Budapest from 30 January to 1 February.
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