Category Archives: NATO

On Friday (31 March 2017), NATO, in collaboration with Japan, officially opened a new rehabilitation pool at the Ukrainian Research Institute for Prosthesis Design, Prosthetic Building and Work Ability Rehabilitation in Kharkiv, Ukraine. The pool will assist Ukraine in improving its rehabilitation service for wounded and disabled servicemen and civilians. The delivery of the pool also marks the success of the first programme of NATO and Japanese cooperation in Ukraine.

NATOs assistance for the new rehabilitation pool was provided through the Medical Rehabilitation Trust Fund for Ukraine. The Trust Fund is led by Bulgaria and supports Ukraine in treating injured servicemen and women from the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine. A particular focus for the Trust Funds work is developing the capacity of its own medical rehabilitation system, in light of the critical need for a long-term solution for the issue of care for wounded service personnel. This includes NATOs provision of specialist rehabilitation equipment to centres across Ukraine, as well as vital training for Ukrainian rehabilitation professionals. The NATO Trust Fund also supports sports rehabilitation camps for injured Ukrainian soldiers, as well as the Ukrainian teams participation in the Invictus games and the US Marine Marathon in Washington.

The Medical Rehabilitation Trust Fund is one of many ways NATO assists Ukraine. At the 2014 Wales Summit, NATO established five Trust Funds to help Ukraine better provide for its security. The Trust Funds are now part of the Comprehensive Assistance Package, which all 28 Allied leaders endorsed at the 2016 Warsaw Summit. The Package aims to consolidate and enhance NATOs assistance for Ukraine to enable it to become more resilient and carry out essential reforms in the security and defence sectors.

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NATO and Japan provide Ukraine with rehabilitation pool for wounded soldiers - NATO HQ (press release)

The Western military bloc is hiring actors to play Russians in exercises that look to be preparations for an incursion into Russia; there is no reason to be mounting such fire power on Russia's border, says Mike Raddie, journalist and peace activist.

Security in Eastern Europe in the face of so-called "Russia's aggression" and the fight against ISIS are the main topics to be discussed at a meeting of NATO leaders in May.

In fact, NATO seems so sure of a threat that it is offering jobs to Russian-speaking actors to play civilians in future military drills.

RT:The German company Optronic HR confirmed recruiting Russian speakers for upcoming NATO drills involving US troops. What do you make of this practice?

Mike Raddie: Yes, I saw this today. Its interesting the rational the recruitment company has put forward for this. Obviously, NATO, they say that they are looking for actors to play the part of Russians in a realistic exercise. I dont know why they need specifically Russian-speaking actors to do this. It makes me think maybe the NATO troops dont have any imagination at all and they cant accept an exercise fighting Russia if there are no Russian speakers in the facility. So, it seems a little bit odd. I think there are other reasons for this, as well. And maybe well go into those.

RT:What kind of scenarios NATO would be playing out here?

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MR: I think they are modeling incursions into Russian territory. Obviously, we know that NATO troops are surrounding Russia at the moment. All across the Baltic nations, at least 200,000 NATO troops across that border region. But also towards the south, towards Afghanistan. And we know that in the past when there has been conflicts, even when Soviet Union withdrew from Afghanistan, our proxy forces, the mujahedeen, which Jimmy Carter, Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan had been arming and supporting for so many years, they made incursions, maybe 20-30 kilometers inside Soviet Union territory at a time. And I think this is a similar exercise. They are looking to make sure that their troops are prepared because it looks like it is either an invasion imminent or they are planning some kind of false flag attack to make it look like Russians were responsible for some military action around in the world somewhere, maybe in Afghanistan, maybe somewhere else when in fact it is NATO forces and US and UK probably doing the incursions themselves.

We know that the Russian military and the Russian president, they are seen as the boogeyman in the West, certainly the Western media. But the global south sees Russia as a defender of human rights around the world. The fact that the Russian government has stepped into Syria and came to the aid of the Syrian government, legitimate Syrian government of President Bashar Assad that is a real stick in the craw for the US. Their plans have been thwarted in Syria, and I think that the fact that Russia has played such a clever strategic game, not just in Syria, but in the region itself, this is not going down well in Washington and London. Their plans have been thwarted and they are having to change their plans all the time because of the diplomacy of Sergey Lavrov and Putin, and also the military strength shown and the solidarity shown with the people of Syria.

I was wondering when I read it that this is a pretty bizarre story. I wonder whether NATO should not rent a part of Russias territory and play it out there in a kind of reality show or something. I cant take it serious. This is ridiculous and this is extremely consuming of taxpayers money to play out a war-like situation with live people that you pay for day to play the role of farmers and shopkeepers. It is signaling that we may need to exercise for a situation when we have NATO troops on Russian territory, or Russian-speaking territory. Its sending a very bad, very awkward, very confrontational and unnecessary signal to Russia. - Jan Oberg, director of Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research

RT:Michael Fallon says theres Eastern threat that needs to be deterred. How does this rhetoric help peace and security in Europe?

MR: Absolutely not. This is the escalation that everyone is fearing at the moment. Fifty or 100 years ago if there was such a build-up of troops, it would be classed as an invasion and the country surrounded would strike out, as it must. Because it would see the security implications. Obviously, when you surround Russia - and it is not just Russia that is surrounded, it is Iran, China, as well - when these countries are surrounded this is not the defense of the West that is at stake here, it is a defense of Russia, China, Iran and SyriaThe Western media portraying this typically as Russian aggression despite the fact that Russia is practically surrounded on all fronts There is no reason for the West to be mounting such firepower on the Russian border if they were not planning some kind of incursion or invasion.

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.

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'NATO calls Russia an aggressor, at the same time Russia finds itself surrounded by NATO troops' - RT

Sen. Rand Paul speaks in Washington on Feb. 15, 2017. Bill ClarkCQ-Roll Call,Inc.

Paul is the junior U.S. Senator for Kentucky

President Donald Trump said in his inaugural address : Weve defended other nations borders, while refusing to defend our own.

I couldnt agree more.

Today, the question is: Will we add yet another commitment to defend yet another foreign country?

For decades, NATO has been an organization where the U.S. disproportionately spends our blood and treasure. The other NATO countries have largely hitched a ride to the U.S. train that subsidizes their defenses and allows them to direct their revenues to domestic pursuits.

Adding a country with fewer than 2,000 soldiers to NATO is not in our self-interest. There is no national security interest that an alliance with Montenegro will advance. If we invite Montenegro into NATO, it will be a one-way street with the U.S. committing to defend yet another country.

Advocates of allowing Montenegro to join NATO admit as much. The Senate hearing on admitting Montenegro to NATO was really just a Russia-bashing session. Not one word was said of how allowing Montenegro into NATO would advance our national security. Even the citizens of Montenegro are divided on entry into NATO. Fewer than 40% favor joining NATO and approximately the same percentage of Montenegrins oppose joining NATO.

Those who want to allow Montenegro into NATO believe that unless the whole world joins NATO, Russia will conquer the world. The truth is, as always, more complicated.

During the Cold War , the myth of Russian might was endlessly circulated here at home and the effect was the production of endless munitions and ever-expanding debt. The Cold War ended and the Soviet Union failed, not because our military might overcame them but because their economic system was fundamentally flawed and our economic system outlasted them.

Now, we are told we must fear the Russian Bear once again. But if you look closely you will see that Russian aggression around the world, particularly among the former Soviet satellites, is an attempt to mask a weak economy that runs the same risk of over-extension. Without question, Russia is an adversary, a country that ignores international norms and does not respect the territorial integrity of its neighbors. But Russia is weak because of corruption, oligarchy and human rights abuses. If Russia continues on this path, they may well encounter the same cataclysm that brought down the Soviet empire.

This debate today is not just about Montenegro but about NATO expansion in general. The same cheerleaders for admitting Montenegro also recklessly pushed to admit Ukraine and Georgia; if they were still members, we could right now be at war with Russia.

From the very beginning, our republic was founded with a deep suspicion of entangling alliances. Our founders wanted to do everything possible to avoid the chronic wars of Europe, where, for centuries, kings from one nation fought their brothers or cousins in other nations. The endless, meaningless wars of fratricide continued even into the 20th century.

Washington wrote that our true policy is to steer clear of permanent alliance with any portion of the foreign world. Jefferson famously wrote, peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none.

In modern times, such military heroes as President Eisenhower opposed intervention in Hungary, even when the naked aggression of the Soviets was appalling. Eisenhower likely had no real opportunity to militarily intervene before 200,000 Soviet troops with 4000 tanks rolled into Hungary. But at least part of the decision was a realpolitick decision that risking a nuclear confrontation with Russia did not justify war.

Fast forward to today. For 16 years the US has been at war in the Middle East. Our justified response to the attacks of 9/11 has dragged on and on. The vote Congress made to authorize military force against the planners and attackers of the World Trade Centers is now used to justify all military action anywhere around the world.

That vote is now used to justify war around the globe in dozens of countries. It is a lie and a disservice to our young men and women in uniform to have them fight under false pretenses. No active war involving the U.S. anywhere around the globe has been approved by Congress.

Our unrestricted, un-voted upon involvement in war everywhere informs my opposition to expanding NATO. Everyone likes to talk of NATOs Article 5 obligation to come to the defense of any NATO ally that is attacked. Many in Congress believe that Article 5 of the NATO alliance farms out the power to declare war to an international body.

David Fromkin put it this way: If it is now agreed by treaty that an attack on a... NATO ally is deemed an attack on the United states, then it can be argued that the President is empowered without Congressional authorization to send us war.

This is the crux of the debate: Congress abdicating its role in declaring war.

So, NATO. Should we expand it? Perhaps what we should do is make it clear that the NATO treaty is not a blind, open-ended promise to go to war anywhere and everywhere.

I continue to believe and will advocate for always having an official vote in Congress before we declare war.

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Sen. Rand Paul: Montenegro Joining NATO Is Against US Interests - TIME

Bowing to outside pressure, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is set to attend his first meeting with NATOs foreign ministers on Friday. But that was not his initial plan. Scheduling problems originally gave the secretary of state two bad options: go to NATO and miss Chinese President Xi Jinpings visit to the United States (not good, given criticism that he is already turning into a no-show secretary) or stay home and send acting Deputy Secretary of State Thomas Shannon (sending the signal, I see enough of you guys and NATO is a second tier priority).

These scheduling conflicts happen all the time and usually get worked out. But heres the kicker NATO offered new dates and the State Department initially said no thanks. That message from Tillerson essentially, Ill see you after my trip to Moscow got everyone riled up. The Swamp rose up as one in protest and sent Tillerson a strong counter message: You dont see allies only after youve seen the Russians!

A few hours later State backed down. And so Tillerson will be in Brussels this Friday, no doubt miffed and with hat in hand. The lesson here is that leadership means showing up. While other ministers can opt out, that is not an option for the United States.

But Tillerson must do more than just show up. Now that he will attend the NATO Ministerial NATOs last big meeting before its summit on May 25 the question is whether he will lead the alliance or just go through the motions, doing crossword puzzles as allies drone on? If he plans to lead, he will need to arrive armed with new ideas and fresh energy to take the alliance forward, and away from supposed obsolescence. But if he arrives just to fill the seat, that would be the worst of all it would be better if he had not shown up at all.

At a minimum, Tillerson should lay the intellectual and policy foundation for President Donald Trumps attendance at the NATO summit in May. Tillerson could provide the strategic underpinnings for the administrations worldview especially the role of the United States in Europe. Weve heard the criticism, but whats the positive outlook from the transatlantic leader? That could set up Trump to announce in May the specific plans he has in regard for NATO and in tackling burden sharing. Tillerson could also lift the veil a bit on the U.S. relationship with Russia, especially as it relates to deterrence in Europe. He has to say something about Russia, given his upcoming trip there. And its probably easier for Tillerson to talk with allies about Russia than for Trump to do so.

In addition to talking about Russia, foreign ministers will talk about ongoing NATO missions, such as NATO troops in the Baltics and Poland, NATO trainers in Iraq helping fight the Islamic State, NATO naval forces dealing with the worsening migrant tragedy in the Mediterranean, and NATO experts helping to establish governance in Libya. These missions show that NATO is not obsolete but yes, NATO could certainly do more.

This is the area for a new push led by the United States. For instance, NATO could convene and host the counter-Islamic State coalition meetings currently being managed by the United States there is no reason that the Defense Department and State Department have to run those meetings out of their back pockets. But NATO could especially do more in the post-conflict stage both in Iraq and in Syria. The rebuilding of those two nations will be a huge undertaking that cannot be done by the U.N. or any nation or coalition alone. NATO could take the initiative to work with the U.N. and the EU to begin sketching out how to help Iraq and Syria deal with the humanitarian needs born of years at war.

But most importantly, Tillerson can help Trumps first NATO summit be a success by taking off the table any lingering doubt or suspicion about U.S. leadership of the transatlantic community. This is a leadership role important for the United States and a priority for presidents going back to Harry Truman. The United States leads the transatlantic community because America derives important benefits from its partnership with Europe. Perhaps the most important benefit for the United States is that Europe and America see the world in a similar way and share an understanding that at a time when these common values are increasingly threatened we need a strong and cooperative community to see our way through. The United States does not have to face these challenges by itself; unless it willfully drives partners away, or allows the transatlantic community to atrophy through benign neglect.

Photo credit:OLIVER BERG/AFP/Getty Images

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For Tillerson, Showing Up at NATO Isn't Enough | Foreign Policy - Foreign Policy (blog)

US troops and vehicles have departed from the Polish port of Gdansk towards their deployment sites in Poland and Lithuania to take part in NATO's Atlantic Resolve operation in Eastern Europe.

The third deployment of US troops in 90 days is aimed at building readiness, improving our interoperability with our NATO allies, training alongside our NATO allies, and deterring aggression against the NATO alliance, Major General Duane Gamble, Commander of the 21st Theater Sustainment Command of the US Army Europe, said as cited by RTs Ruptly news video agency.

When asked to characterize the level of threat NATO is facing, Gamble replied:I don't know, frankly.

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According to the commander, the NATO military buildup in Eastern Europe is not about provocation. It's not about countering Russians or any other potential threats."

NATO has repeatedly stated that the buildup near Russia's borders is required to reassure the blocs eastern European allies in view of Russias reunification with Crimea, Moscows alleged involvement in the Ukrainian conflict and what NATO calls overall aggressive behavior by Russia.

Russia, in turn, has repeatedly criticized NATOs buildup in Eastern Europe, as a threat to its national security.

Moscow responded by staging large scale-drills near the border but stressed that, unlike NATOs activity, those exercises were being conducted inside Russian territory.

Military equipment for the 497th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion (CSSB) arrived at the Polish Black Sea port of Gdansk on Tuesday.

The Green Ridge cargo vessel delivered 644 pieces of military equipment, including 311 vehicles and 155 containers, which will be used for the 9-month rotation for the CSSB, the US military said in a statement.

The battalion will conduct combat sustainment support to rotating US units in Poland and Lithuania as part of the Atlantic Resolve operation, including ammunition handling, military police, postal and other logistical services.

READ MORe: NATO troops head for Poland to deter Russian offensive actions (VIDEO)

The US forces are being deployed to Eastern Europe in line with the decision to place four multinational battalions in the Baltics as agreed by NATO last year.

Operation Atlantic Resolve will see around 4,000 NATO troops with tanks, armored vehicles, air support and high-tech intelligence centers stationed in Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.

READ MORE: Over 100 NATO military vehicles arrive in Estonia as part of biggest deployment since Cold War

The four battle groups will be headed by the US, Britain, Canada and Germany, with other NATO members, including France, also contributing.

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US troops, hardware depart for NATO sites in Eastern Europe build-up (VIDEO) - RT

NATO

Alliance plans $3B in tech services contracts over two years

General Dynamics information technology business unit has won a potential five-year, $140 million contract to install a new private cloud computing infrastructure for NATOs Communications and Information Agency.

NATO said Thursday General Dynamics project represents the start of the alliances largest information technology infrastructure modernization in recent years.

This award comes in the same week that NATO announced plans to award up to $3 billion in contracts over the next 18-24 months for technology services to update the alliances cyber defenses, command-and-control environment and communications network.

All 28 member countries are financing the contracts through NATOs common funding structure.

For its part, General Dynamics will update IT infrastructure, implement alliance-wide continuity and disaster recovery processes and implement new service operations centers to monitor and control IT services.

NATO has targeted the delivery of seven new sites for data center, service operation and other IT services by September 2018 for the contracts first phase and eventually 44 locations for the entire program.

General Dynamics will perform the work in many NATO member countries and out of Belgium. NATO's headquarters are located in Belgium's capital of Brussels.

About the Author

Ross Wilkers is a senior staff writer for Washington Technology. He can be reached at rwilkers@washingtontechnology.com.

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General Dynamics gets potential $140M NATO IT contract - Washington Technology

With Cinemacon coming to a close tonight with their annual Big Screen Achievement Awards, many attendees were finding it difficult to get out of town as a major sand storm grounded planes and caused Las Vegas city officials to send out Do Not Travel advisories on cell phones. For those driving, visibility in some areas was almost non-existent. At tonights awards, the closing act of Cinemacon 2017, there was one star casuality asGet Outdirector Jordan Peele literally could not GET OUT of Los Angeles to get to Vegas due to grounded planes because of the weather. Organizers quickly arranged a live satellite appearance so he could accept his Director Of The Year honor.

The other 13 honorees did manage to get to Vegas, or at least stay in Vegas from earlier appearances either today or this week. The prevailing tone of the show and the acceptance speeches was a love of cinema and movie theaters as recipient after recipient recounted their first experiences at the movies.

Although these awards are negotiated with CinemaCon and its chief honcho Mitch Neuhauser and the studios, usually for stars in movies expected in the next few weeks, it was a warm and entertaining affair led off by the irrepressible Goldie Hawn, star of 20th Century Foxs Mothers Day

REX/Shutterstock

After recounting her adventures in Vegas as a dancer some 50 years ago, Hawn flashed forward to tell what this all means at this point. I think when you look at what makes an icon, you look back on this journey. And this journey was one of uncertainty, of tenacity, of fearlessness, and a journey that taught me you cant always go it alone. There are people if your are open and trusting that can help you get exactly where you need to go. And that is exactly what we do. And thats why the people that put us in front of the cameras, the directors, the writers, and also those who see movies like you that have movie houses that allow us to be other people, to be able to play in a field and everyone who is lucky enough to be blessed enough to express ourselves in our greatest way. So I say that if you are fearless, you are trusting, that you have tenacity, and if you like people and if you work in unison with others you too can be an icon.

REX/Shutterstock

REX/Shutterstock

And with that another CinemaCon is over and these theater owners are ready for Summer.

HERE ARE THE WINNERS:

Cinema Icon Award: Goldie Hawn

Breakthrough Performer Of The Year: Brenton Thwaites

Producer of the Year: Chris Meledandri

Rising Star Of The Year: Isabela Moner

Director Of the Year: Jordan Peele

Distinguished Decade of Achievement Of Film: Naomi Watts

International Achievement In Comedy: Eugenio Derbrez

Action Star of the Year: Jon Cena

Male Star Of Tomorrow: Ansel Elgort

Female Star Of Tomorrow:Sofia Boutella

Comedy Star of the Year: Kumail Nanjiani

CinemaCon Vanguard Award: Salma Hayek

Male Star Of the Year: Charlie Hunnam

Female Star Of The Year: Jessica Chastain

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Stars Describe How They Lost It At The Movies As NATO Hands Out Big Screen Achievement Awards CinemaCon - Deadline

WASHINGTON, March 28 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will press this week for NATO allies to demonstrate a "clear path" to increase defense spending, a State Department official said on Tuesday.

Tillerson will hold his first meeting with NATO foreign ministers in Brussels on March 31.

He will push allies on how they plan to meet a defense spending goal of 2 percent of gross domestic product, and press NATO to increase its role in the fight against terrorism, the official said.

"It is no longer sustainable for the United States to maintain a disproportionate share of NATO's deterrence and defense spending," the official said in a briefing with reporters, on condition of anonymity.

President Donald Trump has unsettled European allies with demands they increase defense spending and talk of establishing an alliance with Russia to counter Islamic State militants.

Tillerson's initial decision to skip his first meeting with NATO foreign ministers to attend expected talks in the United States with Chinese President Xi Jinping also reopened questions about the Trump administration's commitment to the alliance. The State Department later said the meeting in Brussels had been rescheduled and Tillerson would attend.

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Rex Tillerson through his career

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Exxon Mobil Corporation Chairman and Chief Executive Rex Tillerson speaks at a news conference following the Exxon Mobil annual shareholders meeting in Dallas, Texas May 30, 2007. Tillerson told reporters on Wednesday that the construction of the Mackenzie pipeline project in Canada was not viable at current cost levels.

(REUTERS/Mike Stone)

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (R) and Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson look on at a signing ceremony in the Black Sea resort of Sochi August 30, 2011. Exxon and Russia's Rosneft signed a deal on Tuesday to develop oil and gas reserves in the Russian Arctic, opening up one of the last unconquered drilling frontiers to the global industry No.1.

(REUTERS/Alexsey Druginyn/RIA Novosti/Pool)

Executives from six major oil companies are sworn in to testify at a U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on the "Consolidation in the Oil and Gas Industry: Raising Prices?" on Capitol Hill in Washington March 14, 2006. The executives are (L-R) Rex Tillerson, Chairman and CEO of ExxonMobil Corp., James Mulva, Chairman and CEO of ConocoPhillips, David O'Reilly, Chairman and CEO of Chevron Corp., Bill Klesse, CEO of Valero Energy Corp., John Hofmeister, President of Shell Oil Company and Ross Pillari, President and CEO of BP America Inc.

(Jason Reed / Reuters)

ExxonMobil Chairman and CEO Rex Tillerson speaks during the IHS CERAWeek 2015 energy conference in Houston, Texas April 21, 2015.

(REUTERS/Daniel Kramer/File Photo)

Chairman, President and CEO of Exxon Mobil Corporation Rex Tillerson watches a tee shot on the 13th hole during the first round of the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am golf tournament at the Monterey Peninsula Country Club course in Pebble Beach, California, February 6, 2014.

(REUTERS/Michael Fiala)

Rex Tillerson, chairman and CEO of ExxonMobil; John Watson, chairman and CEO of Chevron Corp.; James Mulva, chairman and CEO of ConocoPhillips; Marvin Odum, president of Shell Oil Co.; and Lamar McKay, president and chairman of BP America Inc.; are sworn in during the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Environment hearing on their safety practices as oil continues to leak into the Gulf of Mexico after the Deepwater Horizon oil rig - operated by BP - exploded last month.

(Photo by Scott J. Ferrell/Congressional Quarterly/Getty Images)

ExxonMobil Chairman and CEO Rex Tillerson speaks during the IHS CERAWeek 2015 energy conference in Houston, Texas April 21, 2015.

(REUTERS/Daniel Kramer/File Photo)

WASHINGTON, DC - May 12: James Mulva, chairman and CEO of ConocoPhillips; and Rex Tillerson, chairman and CEO of Exxon Mobil Corp.; during the Senate Finance hearing on oil and gas tax incentives.

(Photo by Scott J. Ferrell/Congressional Quarterly/Getty Images)

Chairman and CEO of Exxon Mobil Corporation Rex W. Tillerson and Norway Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg attends the United Nations Foundation's global leadership dinner at The Pierre Hotel on November 8, 2011 in New York City.

(Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images)

Rex Tillerson, chief executive officer of Exxon Mobil Corp., left, speaks with Daniel Yergin, vice chairman of IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates Inc., during the 2015 IHS CERAWeek conference in Houston, Texas, U.S., on Tuesday, April 21, 2015. CERAWeek 2015, in its 34th year, will provide new insights and critically-important dialogue with decision-makers in the oil and gas, electric power, coal, renewables, and nuclear sectors from around the world.

(Photographer: F. Carter Smith/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Renda St. Clair and Rex Tillerson attend the reopening celebration at Ford's Theatre on February 11, 2009 in Washington, DC.

(Photo by Abby Brack/Getty Images)

Rex Tillerson, chairman and CEO of ExxonMobil, listens during a meeting at the Department of the Interior September 22, 2010 in Washington, DC. Secretary of the Interior Kenneth L. Salazar hosted Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, Gulf Oil Spill National Incident Commander Adm. Thad Allen (Ret.), representatives from the private sector and others to discus strengthening the containment abilities to deep water oil and gas well blowouts like the recent BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

(Photo by Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images)

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Five NATO members - Britain, Estonia, Greece, Poland and the United States - currently meet the 2 percent spending threshold, according to 2016 NATO figures. Members of the alliance have until 2024 to meet the targets.

The Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian foreign ministers met with Tillerson at the State Department on Tuesday. The Baltic states have felt especially vulnerable since Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea region in 2014.

Asked if they were confident in U.S. support for NATO, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius responded "No doubts about that" and Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics and Estonian Foreign Minister Sven Mikser nodded in agreement.

The senior State Department official said Trump administration officials are "pushing allies to do more, faster, absolutely no apology for that." The United States also wants allies to give a "clear path" on how they would meet the threshold, such as timelines and budgetary commitments, he said.

But the official declined to state any specifics on what the United States would do if allies did not meet the targets.

"Our joint security requires it, that's the main leverage that we have," the official said.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said last month the United States might "moderate" its support for the alliance but gave no details. (Reporting by Yeganeh Torbati; Editing by James Dalgleish)

More from AOL.com: US embassies ordered to identify population groups for tougher visa screening Former Vice President Joe Biden blasts Trump administration's 'romance with Putin' Rex Tillerson says he 'didn't want' Secretary of State job

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Official: Tillerson to press NATO on defense spending - AOL

Russian warships fired missiles Wednesday as part of amilitary exercise near Crimea in the Black Sea, where rival NATO forces, including the U.S., have also recently deployed for drills.

Moscow's naval drills included the Bora-classSamumhoverborneguided missile corvette, Nanuchka-classMirazhmissile ship and Tarantul-class R-239 missile boat. The Sukhoi Su-24 fighter attack aircraft andBe-200 amphibious plane were also active in separate phases of the training exercises. The operations were held to evaluate Russia's sea and air defenses, Russian Capt. 1st Rank Vyacheslav Trukhachyov told Sputnik International, and came in response to recent military actions by Moscow's rival, NATO, near the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

Last weekNATO members Romania and the U.S. began joint war drills known as "Spring Storm 17" on the coast of the Black Sea. The operations involved 450 U.S. Marines and 750 Romanian soldiers and included handheld surface-to-air rocket tests, according to the Associated Press. The U.S., which was by far NATO's biggest financial contributor, and European allies have been particularly ambitious about securing their interests in the Black Sea region since Russia's intervention in Ukraine, which Kiev and NATO argued was a violation of Ukraine's sovereignty. The U.S. has also sent to the region the Harpers Ferry-class USS Carter Hall dock landing ship and USS Porter Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, which was involved in an allegedly "unsafe" encounter with two RussianSu-24 fighter-bombers last month, according to Reuters.

NATO's "Spring Storm 17"followed the"Black Shield 2017" exercise in which the Western military alliance joined the forces of the U.S., Spain, Canada, Bulgaria, Turkey and Romania for a massive show of force miles from Russian territory, News Corp Australia reported. Moscow has maintained that its annexation of Crimea, which had an ethnic Russian majority, was done to protect the interests of the Russian community during Ukraine's 2014 political crisis. Both NATO and Russia have accused one another of warmongering behavior, which has led to the largest parallel military escalations between the two factions since the Cold War.

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Russia and NATO War Games Raise Tensions in Black Sea - Newsweek

Britain remains a key ally for the European Union and NATO, a spokeswoman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel said onWednesday, as London formally launched the process to quit the bloc.

We must not forget that the UK is still a partner, in NATO and in Europe, Ulrike Demmer told journalists, adding that Londons Brexit notification would give more clarity on how Britain planned to handle the divorce process.

On this basis, the 27 member states and EU institutions will define their interests and aims, Demmer said, adding that Berlin was well prepared for the coming negotiations.

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German foreign ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer echoed the message, saying that we are proud of the clear, unanimous stance of the EU 27, that they stood their ground that there would be no pre-negotiations. They begin now.

Underlining the importance of quickly obtaining clarity on the negotiation process, Schaefer emphasised that uncertainty is poison for the people -- the EU citizens, Germans who live in Britain and what their future status would be, likewise for British citizens living in the European Union.

Perhaps its even more poisonous for economic trade and investment relations, he added, questioning if London really understood what kind of impact there could be for the British economy when all these questions have to be addressed, and noting the damn tight two-year negotiation period.

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Despite Brexit, Britain still partner in NATO, Europe: Germany - Hindustan Times