Close
Back
Download NATO’s broadcast-quality video content free of charge
Log in
No account?
Forgot your password?
NATO MULTIMEDIA ACCOUNT
Access NATO’s broadcast-quality video content free of charge
Create an account
Check your inbox and enter verification code
We have sent a verification code to your email address.
.
Enter the code to verify your account. This code will expire in 30 minutes.
You have successfully created your account
From now on you can download videos from our website
Subscribe to our newsletter
If you would also like to subscribe to the newsletter and receive our latest updates, click on the button below.
Reset password
Enter the email address you registered with and we will send you a code to reset your password.
Reset password
We have sent a verification code to your email address.
Enter the code to verify your account. This code will expire in 30 minutes.
Create a new password
The password must be at least 12 characters long, no spaces, include upper/lowercase letters, numbers and symbols.
Your password has been updated
Click the button to return to the page you were on and log in with your new password.
NATO defence ministers met at NATO headquarters on 5 and 6 December for their regular end-of-year meetings. Key items of discussion were progress on implementing the Defence Capabilities Initiative (DCI) and on developing arrangements with the European Union to allow NATO to support EU-led crisis management operations with assets and capabilities in circumstances where the Alliance as a whole is not engaged.
NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson emphasised that "plans to strengthen NATO's capabilities go hand in hand with the European Union's desire to improve European capabilities and play a larger role in crisis management". Welcoming the increases in defence expenditure planned by several Allies and the defence reforms underway in most NATO member countries, he said "The good news is that NATO's nations are responding. The argument that defence cuts have gone too far has been won". But he cautioned that while real progress had been made, it is not yet enough.
During the meeting of the North Atlantic Council - NATO's supreme decision-making body - ministers reviewed NATO's contribution to building stability in the Balkans. They commended the efforts of KFOR to prevent an escalation of the current upsurge in violence by ethnic Albanian extremists in the Presevo Valley of southern Serbia. Turning to Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosnia), they called upon all authorities to strengthen their efforts to fully implement the Dayton Peace Agreement, which was signed five years ago, and emphasised the need for Bosnia to have armed forces with a unified command and control.
Other key items discussed included the introduction of NATO's new command structure and the review of the Alliance's force structure to improve NATO's ability to carry out its new missions. NATO defence ministers also reaffirmed the Allies' commitment to invite new members within the coming years and welcomed the strong commitment to defence reform and restructuring that was expressed by the defence ministers of the nine countries participating in NATO's Membership Action Plan.
Earlier in the day, the Defence Planning Committee adopted a five-year force plan, reviewed the Allies' national defence plans for the period 2001-2005, and approved new ministerial guidance for NATO and national defence planning up to 2008.
Ministers welcomed the efforts underway to improve Alliance capabilities in key areas such as strategic sea and airlift, precision-guided munitions and consultation, command and control capabilities. But in terms of defence expenditure, ministers noted that in many cases additional funds appear necessary to achieve DCI objectives and that more efficiency is needed in defence spending.
Concerning the commitments of many Allies to the EU's future rapid reaction force, ministers said these would need to be taken into account to the extent that they have consequences for NATO force planning and emphasised that they expected the objectives set by the European Union and under DCI to be mutually reinforcing.
The Nuclear Planning Group reviewed the status of NATO's nuclear forces and discussed related issues. Ministers approved a final report on the nuclear aspects of efforts to improve confidence and security building measures, verification, non-proliferation, arms control and disarmament. They were also briefed by US Secretary of State for Defense William Cohen on US-Russian efforts to establish a Joint Data Exchange Center in Moscow to share information from early warning systems regarding missile launches.