NATO naval force sets sail for Africa

A NATO maritime mission involving ships from six member countries set sail for a historic 12 500 nautical mile circumnavigation of the African continent on July 30.

KFOR aids Kosovo firefighting operations

The NATO-led KFOR has been working with its civilian counterparts to put out wildfires burning across Kosovo.

NATO Review Summer edition now online

The summer issue of the NATO Review is now online in English.

New operation launched in southern Afghanistan

Afghan National Security Forces and NATO-led ISAF troops have launched a further operation to drive Taliban extremists out of the Upper Gereshk Valley of Helmand province, southern Afghanistan.

NATO Secretary General visits United Kingdom

NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer paid a visit to London on 23 July to meet Gordon Brown in his new role as Prime Minister.

Forest fire requests for assistance

NATO’s Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre has passed on to NATO and Partner countries requests for assistance from Bulgaria, Albania and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia¹.

NATO ship used in survey of sunken Russian submarine wreck

The NATO research vessel Alliance was recently engaged in surveying the wreck of a sunken Russian nuclear submarine, at the request of the Russian Federation and as part of an international effort.

New Latvian President meets Secretary General

The newly appointed President of Latvia, Valdis Zatlers, met Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, at NATO Headquarters on 17 July. They discussed Latvia’s participation in NATO operations and missions, and other important security issues.

ISAF web site revamped

The web site for the NATO-led force in Afghanistan (ISAF), www.nato.int/isaf, now has a new look and feel to make for easier navigation and provide a clearer overview of content.

Allies deeply disappointed by Russian suspension of CFE obligations

The NATO Allies have expressed their deep disappointment and concern about Russia's unilateral decision to suspend obligations under the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty, in a press release on 16 July. The Allies remain firmly committed to the Treaty and hope Russia will engage in constructive and creative dialogue to ensure its continued operation.

European and Euro-Atlantic Partnership Day in Kyiv

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence hosted its first “European and Euro-Atlantic Partnership Day” at Ukraine’s National Defence Academy, on 14 July in Kyiv.

NATO successfully tests Kosovo reserve forces

In mid-July, Italian forces completed an exercise in Kosovo, aimed at demonstrating NATO’s ability to reinforce NATO forces on the ground at very short notice.

Discussing NATO-Serbia Partnership and Kosovo

NATO Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer visited Belgrade on 13 July to hold talks with the Serbian leadership. He had meetings with President Tadic, Prime Minister Kostunica, and the Foreign and Defence Ministers.

Operational law course at NATO School

NATO’s Allied Command Transformation launched a pilot Operational Law Course at the NATO School in Oberammergau, Germany, 9-13 July, to provide training to Alliance and Partner personnel deploying in support of NATO operations.

NATO conducts live air exercise in Georgia

A live air exercise involving NATO member states and partners in simulated humanitarian relief air operations will take place from 9 to 20 July, in Tbilisi, Georgia.

10th anniversary of NATO-Ukraine Distinctive Partnership

A meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission (NUC) was held on 9 July to mark the tenth anniversary of the signing of the Charter on a Distinctive Partnership between NATO and Ukraine.

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New parliamentarians, including Afghans and Pakistanis, visit NATO and SHAPE

From 8 to 12 July, some 50 parliamentarians from NATO and partner countries, including Afghanistan and Pakistan, are meeting the Alliance’s top civilian and military leaders to get the latest inside views and information on NATO’s operations, roles and challenges.

Summer Academy in Tajikistan engages Central Asian students

The third annual Summer Academy in Tajikistan brought together representatives of the international community in Dushanbe to brief and interact with students from across Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

Croatia Summit - Europe's New South

NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer participated this Friday at the opening of the international conference "Croatia Summit - Europe's New South" on the coastal city of Dubrovnik.

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Boosting NATO-Russia defence research and industrial cooperation

The reports from a two-phased study aimed at exploring ways to boost NATO-Russia collaboration in defence research and technology (R&T) as well as defence industrial cooperation were published in June.

Moldovan Ministers brief NATO on reform progress

Moldova’s Foreign Minister and the Acting Defence Minister visited NATO HQ on 4 July to exchange views on regional security and discuss Moldova's progress in implementing its Individual Partnership Action Plan with NATO.

Managing defence procurement and budgets

Experts and officials from Russia and NATO member countries gathered in Oslo, Norway, on 3 July, for a seminar on defence procurement, resource allocation and democratic control of budget execution.

UN, NATO chart Afghanistan approach at Rome conference

Speaking at a conference in Rome, 3 July, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said success in Afghanistan required the fulfilment of six key priorities.

Workshop examines issues in Public Diplomacy

Should NATO open an office in the virtual world of Second Life? What are the key challenges in public diplomacy today? This and other issues were the focus of a NATO Public Diplomacy workshop in Brussels, 2-3 July.

Exercise validates latest rotation of NATO Response Force

Allied Joint Force Command Headquarters Naples (JFC Naples) took over command of the latest rotation of the NATO Response Force (NRF 9) on 1 July. The change of command was validated and certified during Exercise Steadfast Jackpot 2007.

New strategic lift coordination centre created

Several European Union and NATO countries took a further step towards better coordinating their strategic air and sea transport by establishing a Movement Coordination Centre Europe at Eindhoven Airbase, the Netherlands, on 1 July.