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Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, and a warm welcome to NATO Headquarters.  I have been asked to talk to you about a few issues today: namely, NATO’s military missions and the Alliance’s effectiveness; our key successes and challenges; the role of the Military Committee; and NATO’s relations with the EU.  Due to time constraints, however, I will have to limit my comments to about 10 minutes by briefly covering each topic, thus allowing more time for, what I hope to be, a provocative discussion during the ensuing question and answer period.

NATO’s Military Missions

Since its inception in 1949, the Alliance has had a traditional mission of collective defense on our own territory.  NATO’s success has been reflected in the fact that, throughout the entire Cold War period, its forces were not involved in a single military engagement.  Other successes that are attributed to the Alliance include the peace support operations to compel an end to the violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina, along with the peace implementation and stabilization forces that followed from 1995 to 2004.  The Alliance was also successful in disarming ethnic Albanian groups operating in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, as well as the follow-on protection and stability operations between 2001 and 2003.

Since its first military operation in the Balkans, however, NATO has assumed new missions of tackling threats and enhancing stability well beyond its borders, and to remain relevant, we must be able to balance between our traditional territorial defence miision and our ability to provide homeland stability from afar.

The Alliance faces a myriad of threats and challenges today that were non-existent yesterday.  And what are they?  There is a challenge of nuclear proliferation, terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, failing and failed states, and the disproportional disparity between the well off and the underprivileged.  We exist in an environment where borders, by and large, have no threats and threats have no borders.   The threats and challenges that we face today have caused the Alliance to become involved in four key operational areas: Afghanistan, the Western Balkans, counter-piracy, and Iraq.

Afghanistan

In Afghanistan, our biggest priority, we face the most complex challenge that NATO has ever undertaken, but the Alliance’s commitment to this mission is stronger than ever.  Comprised of 43 nations, ISAF’s success will require steadfast commitment.  Our strategy is to protect the population, reverse the Taliban’s momentum and create the conditions to develop more Afghan security and governance capacity.  This mission is essential for our shared security and, together with the Afghan people, we will succeed.  The Afghan government has a vision for Afghan national security and securing Central Helmand is the first step.  We now have the right strategy, the resources, the commitment of the international community, the commitment of the Afghan government, and a mounting awareness by the Afghan people that we, the international community, are committed to help them obtain a better life.  So these conditions are in place for the first time and 2010 will be the year of change.

Western Balkans

Despite Afghanistan, NATO has not faltered on its other commitments, particularly in the Western Balkans.  Today, approximately 10,000 Allied troops operate there as part of KFOR.  These troops continue to maintain a strong presence throughout the territory, preserving the peace that was imposed by NATO a decade earlier, and they will remain in place to support the development of a stable, democratic, multi-ethnic and peaceful Kosovo for the remainder of their operational mandate.  However, on the basis of UNSCR 1244, the mission is making a gradual, conditions-based transition to a deterent posture, which the North Atlantic Council is keeping under political review.

Counter- Piracy

Piracy and armed robbery off the Horn of Africa are a significant concern to the international community, nations, non-governmental and commercial organizations.  NATO’s efforts to deter and disrupt piracy off the coast of Somalia started in October 2008 and continues today with Operation Ocean Shield, which is currently being undertaken by the Standing NATO Maritime Group 1.  The Alliance has broadened its approach to combating piracy by introducing a new element to its mission.  It is offering, to regional states that request it, assistance in developing their own capacity – such as a local coast guard – to combat piracy activities in full complementarity with existing international efforts as coordinated with the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia.  NATO forces operate alongside the efforts of other nations and organizations, especially Combined Task Force 151 and the EU’s ATALANTA operation, which are all complementary in nature.  The Alliance is also considering options for a possible long-term role to combat piracy.

Iraq

In Iraq, NATO has been conducting a relatively small but important support operation by providing a broad range of training support to the Iraqi Security Forces through the NATO Training Mission in Iraq.  NTM-I delivers its training, advice and mentoring support in a number of different settings and all NATO members contribute to the training effort, in or outside Iraq, through financial contributions or donations of equipment.  To reinforce this initiative, NATO is working with the Iraqi government on a structured cooperation framework to develop the Alliance’s long-term relationship with Iraq.

Comprehensive Approach

As our missions progress, it has become clear that to better respond to the new realities that exist, we must move forward through a comprehensive approach.  Comprehensive approach fundamentally means that the security challenges we face can neither be solved in isolation nor by military means alone, but rather, they need to be tackled alongside others, bringing together all of the instruments that the international community has available – economical, educational, political, institutional and military.  This means that military personnel must understand that the military is a tool, just a tool of this broader comprehensive approach in support of a broader comprehensive strategy.  This is very evident from the operations that we are running together in Kosovo, Afghanistan, off the Somali coast, and in Active Endeavour in the Mediterranean.

Military Committee

Now let me briefly cover the Military Committee’s role.  The Military Committee is comprised of senior military officers from the NATO member countries who serve as their country’s military representatives to NATO, representing their Chief of Defence.  It is the senior military authority in NATO, which provides the Alliance’s civilian decision-making bodies – the North Atlantic Council, the Defence Planning Committee and the Nuclear Planning Group – with direction and advice on military strategy.  The Committee is responsible for recommending to NATO’s political authorities those measures considered necessary for the common defence of the NATO area and for the implementation of decisions regarding the Alliance’s operations and missions.  It also plays a key role in the development of NATO’s military policy and doctrine within the framework of discussions in the senior bodies.

The Military Committee also provides guidance to NATO’s two Strategic Commanders – Supreme Allied Commander Operations and Supreme Allied Commander Transformation.  In this context, the Committee assists in developing overall strategic concepts for the Alliance and prepares an annual long-term assessment of the strength and capabilities of countries and areas posing a risk to NATO’s interests.

NATO-EU Relationship

Lastly, let me briefly touch on NATO’s relationship with the EU.  It is important to understand that the two organizations share common strategic interests and cooperate in a spirit of complementarity and partnership, and that they work together to prevent and resolve crises and armed conflicts in Europe and beyond.  Beyond their collaboration in the field, other key priorities for cooperation are to ensure that our capability development efforts are mutually reinforcing, as well as to combat terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.  Close cooperation between NATO and the EU is an important element in the development of an international “Comprehensive Approach” to crisis management and operations, which requires the effective application of both military and civilian means.

The Alliance seeks a strong partnership with the EU, not only in the field, where both organizations have deployed assets such as in Kosovo, Afghanistan and the Somali Basin, but also in their strategic dialogue at the political headquarters level here in Brussels.  This dialogue is important to avoid unnecessary duplication of effort, to ensure transparency and to respect the autonomy of the two organizations.

Summary

I know that I have been brief in my intervention, but hopefully I have whet your appetite enough to entice a stimulating exchange.  So who has the first question?