New NATO chief plots course for 28-nation military pact

STUTTGART, Germany As NATOs first secretary-general to hail from a country that shares a border with Russia, Jens Stoltenberg says todays tensions with Moscow conjure memories from a Cold War childhood when NATO was there to protect us.

I remember visiting that border when it was completely closed back in the days of the Soviet Union. When looking across was like staring into something dark and scary, Stoltenberg, a former Norwegian prime minister now heading up the 28-nation alliance, said on Tuesday.

Nowadays, there is a visa-free zone between Norway and Russia, where hundreds of thousands of people cross the border each year. But Russias moves around Ukraine during the past year have threatened such progress and brought about echoes from the past, which NATO must be prepared to counter, Stoltenberg said during a speech at the German Marshall Fund in Brussels.

NATOs new top official laid out his priorities during his first major policy speech since assuming leadership of the 28-nation alliance earlier this month. Stoltenberg took up his post from Anders Fogh Rasmussen, his predecessor as the military alliances secretary-general who had been criticized by some NATO allies for his sharp comments about Moscows policies in Ukraine.

Much of Stoltenbergs speech also focused on Russia.

NATO does not seek confrontation with Russia. And nobody wants a new Cold War, 25 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, he said. But we cannot and will not compromise on the principles on which our alliance and the security of Europe and North America rest. This is my firm conviction.

Going forward, Stoltenberg said his main goals will be pushing forward with a new action plan that aims to elevate NATOs overall state of readiness through the placement of equipment at strategic staging bases in eastern Europe, a new rapid-reaction force and a heightened presence of rotational forces on NATOs eastern frontier.

This is the biggest reinforcement of our collective defense since the end of the Cold War, Stoltenberg said. We are making our forces more agile. And able to deploy quickly whenever threats emerge. From any direction.

The size and shape of NATOs new spearhead reaction force, expected to be around 4,000 troops, will be decided when defense ministers meet in February.

At the same time, Stoltenberg struck a more conciliatory and diplomatic tone than Rasmussen, emphasizing the need to find ways to work with Moscow.

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New NATO chief plots course for 28-nation military pact