9 June 2005

Defence Ministers discuss boosting NATO’s capabilities Events Documents, speeches and audio from Defence Ministers Meeting 9-10 June 2005 Official texts 09/06/2005 - NATO PR/CP (2005)076 - Final Communique from the Meeting of The North Atlantic Council in Defence Ministers Session Background Improving NATO’s operational capabilities The NATO Response Force: at the centre of NATO transformation Meeting at NATO HQ on 9-10 June, NATO Ministers of Defence have discussed new ideas for further transforming the Alliance’s capability to take on 21st century military operations where and when necessary. Ministers agreed that a number of changes are necessary, including in the way the Alliance’s operations are financed, a collective approach to logistics, better intelligence sharing, improving the predictability of how many forces can be deployed, and a more comprehensive focus on post-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 initiatives and commitments aimed at improving the usability and deployability of NATO countries’ forces. This included the cutting-edge NATO Response Force, which is the engine of NATO’s transformation and is due to achieve full operational capability in October 2006. Ministers also discussed the way ahead for NATO's operations in Afghanistan, Kosovo and the Mediterranean, its mission in Iraq and the details of NATO's assistance to the African Union for Darfur. Co-operation with partner countries in defence reform, the fight against terrorism, and the contribution of partner countries to NATO-led operations and missions was discussed in meetings of the NATO-Russia Council, the NATO-Ukraine Commission and the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council.