Category Archives: NATO

Mr. Macron is eager to put forward longer-term strategic proposals, but is increasingly impatient with a more stagnant Germany and a divided coalition in that country, where the left-leaning Social Democrats block his European military and security proposals and the conservative Christian Democrats block his proposals for more economic integration, higher spending and eurozone reform.

Mr. Macron misread Ms. Merkel, thinking that in her last term she would want to create a historical legacy for the European project, as Chancellor Helmut Kohl did by accepting the euro, and the French leader feels almost betrayed by her caution, a senior French official said.

But that is to misunderstand Ms. Merkel, who does not have big visions and is as pragmatic as you can get, and she is not going to change after 10 years, Ms. Major said.

Then there is NATO, which Germany relies on for deterrence along with the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, whose leaders have been sharply critical of Mr. Macrons musings about the alliances weaknesses. Ms. Merkel refused to publicly accept Mr. Macrons brain death criticism, calling his words drastic.

While many agree privately with Mr. Macron that President Trumps unpredictability and moodiness have hurt NATO, made worse by his special dealings with an increasingly authoritarian and Moscow-leaning Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, they believe it was wrong to state those doubts publicly.

Polands prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, called Mr. Macron irresponsible, describing his comments questioning NATOs commitment to collective defense, known as Article Five, as dangerous. Mr. Morawiecki told his Parliament that any moves to question the guarantee included in the NATO treaty were a threat to the future of the European Union and the military alliance.

As Franois Heisbourg, a French defense analyst, put it, Mr. Macron was talking like a think tanker instead of as the leader of a key NATO ally and nuclear power. But there are divisions in NATO, he said, and at least Macron is trying to address the problem at hand.

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Merkel and Macron Publicly Clash Over NATO - The New York Times

President Donald Trump's criticisms of NATO have been one of the most concerning elements of his presidency to date for career diplomats and Pentagon officials.

A new book written by an anonymous White House insider published this week has shed further light on the president's aversion to the Cold War-era alliance, alleging Trump claimed the U.S. is "getting raped" by its allies and pushed to ditch the accord.

A Warning, by Anonymous, was published earlier this week. It is written by the same unnamed White House official who authored an op-ed for The New York Times last year, claiming to be part of "the resistance" against Trump within his own administration, working to frustrate much of the president's policy agenda.

A portion of the book is dedicated to Trump's belligerent stance on NATO. Since coming into office, the president has repeatedly maligned the alliance and its members, accusing members of not spending enough on joint defense and suggesting the transatlantic bloc is no longer fit for purpose.

Trump even publicly questioned Article 5, the cornerstone of the alliance which requires NATO nations to come to the defense of a member if it is attacked. The article has only been involved once in NATO's 70-year history, by the U.S. following the 9/11 attacks.

According to Anonymous, Trump "has repeatedly astounded advisors" by suggesting he wishes to withdraw from NATO, which is underpinned by American money and military might.

"This would be a huge gift to the Russians, who have long opposed the twenty-nine nation group," Anonymous wrote.

Trump has been accused of aligning foreign policy with that of Russiawhether consciously or otherwisebut withdrawing the U.S. from NATO would hand the Kremlin a priceless, and previously unthinkable, foreign policy victory.

The president's main problem with NATO is financial, though it also plays into his anti-multilateral and isolationist instincts.

"The president tells us we are 'getting raped' because other countries are spending far less to be a part of it, adding that the organization is 'obsolete,'" Anonymous explained.

But Anonymous vocalized the view of many analysts by explaining that the U.S. is "the most powerful nation on Earth, and the investments we make in the NATO alliance allow us to project our influence globally to stop danger before it comes our way."

"Leaving the alliance would not only be foolish but suicidalan advertisement to foreign enemies that it's open season against Western countries, left to fend for themselves," the author continued.

Indeed, last year's NATO summit was consumed by Trump's attacks on fellow leaders and demands to address "burden sharing." A minority of NATO's members are currently fulfilling the commitment to spend 2 percent of GDP on defenseagreed at the 2014 summit in the U.K.much to Trump's frustration.

The Statista infographic below shows that the U.S. spends by far the most on its military than any other NATO nation. However, the U.S. is also by far the largest economy within the alliance, and in its dominance of the bloc means fellow member states host a vast network of American bases and troops.

Still, the U.S. spends the largest proportion of its GDP of any NATO country on its military, at 3.5 percent. The next closest is Greece at 2.3 percent.

At the 2018 Brussels meeting, Trump even reportedly threatened other leaders with withdrawing the U.S., though did not follow through. He later took credit for vast defense spending increases by fellow nations, though French President Emmanuel Macron quickly challenged the interpretation.

Trump will travel to London next month to meet with fellow NATO leaders, and will no doubt again demand fairer "burden sharing."

This article has been updated to include an infographic.

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Trump Said U.S. Is 'Getting Raped' by NATO, Has Pushed to Exit Alliance According to White House Insider - Newsweek

NATO and the Republic of Korea signed a new partnership programme on 21 November 2019 that sets the framework for cooperation and political dialogue. Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana and the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea Kim Hyoung-zhin signed the third Individual Partnership Cooperation Programme (IPCP) at NATO Headquarters in Brussels.

The new partnership programme continues to promote political dialogue and practical cooperation in a number of joint priority areas, including cyber defence, non proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and Science for Peace and Security.

The Republic of Korea has been a valuable contributor to the Alliances stabilisation efforts in Afghanistan. The Provincial Reconstruction Team, led by the Republic of Korea, played a significant role in the reconstruction of the Parwan province. The Republic of Korea continues to be a significant contributor in support of the security and socio-economic development of Afghanistan.

The signature of the Individual Partnership Cooperation Programme follows fourteen years of progressive engagement from a dialogue that was initiated in 2005.

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NATO and the Republic of Korea sign new partnership programme - NATO HQ

The first of five NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) aircraft landed in Sigonella, Italy at 16h46 local time on Thursday (21 November 2019), marking an important step in the delivery of the AGS Program.

I welcome the arrival of the first Alliance Ground Surveillance aircraft in Sigonella. This demonstrates that NATO Allies are committed to modernising the Alliance and investing to deliver key cutting-edge capabilities to the benefit of our shared security, said the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels.

The aircraft took off on Wednesday (20 November 2019) from Palmdale Air Base inCalifornia, US at 10h00 local time and landed 22 hours later in its new home at the AGS Main Operating Base, according to plan. The aircraft was received by the NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance Management Agency (NAGSMA) General Manager Brigadier General Volker Samanns. AGS Force Commander Brigadier General Phillip Stewart and other senior officials were also present.

The first AGS ferry flight from the United States to Italy marks the implementation of a key multinational project for the procurement of state-of-the art equipment. AGS is being developed with significant contributions from 15 Allies - Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and the United States.

Alliance Ground Surveillance will be collectively owned and operated by all NATO Allies and will be a vital capability for NATO operations and missions. All Allies will have access to data acquired by AGS, and will benefit from the intelligence derived from the surveillance and reconnaissance missions that AGS will undertake.

With its ground elements, AGS is a custom-made system specifically designed to meet the surveillance requirements identified by the North Atlantic Council and SACEUR. The AGS NATO RQ-4D remotely piloted aircraft is based on the US Air Force block 40 Global Hawk. It has been uniquely adapted to NATO requirements, to provide a state-of-the art Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance capability to NATO, to the benefit of all NATO Allies

The NATO AGS program includes five NATO RQ-4D remotely piloted aircraft. All five are currently performing different stages of developmental test flights. Once each of the aircraft arrives at the Main Operating Base in Sigonella, a verification phase will start, in order to ensure full compliance of the system. The entire AGS system will be handed over to the NATO AGS Force once it has completed all its testing and performance verification. Initial operational capability is expected for the first half of 2020.

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First NATO AGS remotely piloted aircraft ferries to Main Operating Base in Italy - NATO HQ

First NATO-owned surveillance drone arrives at Sigonella as alliance looks to Middle East, Africa

STUTTGART, Germany NATOs first unmanned aircraft has arrived at an alliance base in southern Italy, where reconnaissance missions are expected to begin next year.

The first of five Alliance Ground Surveillance drones arrived at Naval Air Station Sigonella in Sicily on Thursday, after completing a 22-hour test flight from Palmdale, Calif., a statement said.

The RQ-4D aircraft, ordered in 2012, are based on the Air Forces Global Hawk Block 40 high-altitude and long endurance drone, but modified to NATO specifications.

This demonstrates that NATO Allies are committed to modernizing the Alliance and investing to deliver key cutting-edge capabilities to the benefit of our shared security, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement.

Allies will collectively own and operate the aircraft and will have access to the data and intelligence that is gathered, NATO said.

The NATO base is operated by the Italian air force but houses U.S. Naval Air Station Sigonella and its thousands of service members as its primary tenant, along with other NATO personnel. The base also serves as a major transportation hub used by all Defense Department services.

A NATO official thanked Italy for co-hosting the new AGS unit. He said it will comprise nearly 600 personnel, and will include a new Data Exploitation and Training Center which will be able to train up to 80 students per year.

The NATO AGS will be co-located with the U.S. Air Force Global Hawks and the U.S. Navy Broad Area Maritime Surveillance unmanned aircraft systems which are (also) in Sigonella, said the official who could not be named in line with NATO regulations. This will provide for synergies in logistics and sustainment.

The arrival of the first drone comes as NATO attempts to get a better handle on security along its southern doorstep, where instability in northern Africa and Syria has been an area of concern.

In 2017, NATO launched a new information hub in Naples tasked with collecting data from Middle East and African countries, in an effort to give early warning on threats such as terrorism and illicit trafficking.

Each of the remotely piloted planes will undergo a system verification phase after arriving at Sigonella. When testing is finished, the aircraft are handed over to the NATO AGS Force. Initial operating capability is expected early next year, NATO said.

The main contributors to the project are the U.S., Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.

vandiver.john@stripes.comTwitter: @john_vandiver

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First NATO-owned surveillance drone arrives at Sigonella as alliance looks to Middle East, Africa - Stars and Stripes

What do you do?

I have international experience that encompasses digital signal processing and wireless communication. I have worked in Denmark, France, Qatar, and nowadays I am working at Tallinn University of Technology in Estonia, where I am Cognitive Electronics (COEL) European Research Area (ERA) Chair holder.

Today, one of my focuses is on wireless connectivity in disaster scenarios, such as terrorist attacks. I lead a NATO Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Programme Multi-Year Project on communication in the context of terror attacks. The aim is to reduce the response time of rescue teams and law enforcement agencies following a terrorist attack in public spaces, such as transport hubs, stations or shopping malls, and consequently protect lives and save critical infrastructure.

To achieve this objective, we are developing technologies able to transmit critical information, such as the number of trapped people inside the terror zone, their identity and location, the number of terrorists, using available devices, for instance smartphones and other on-scene available devices.

Launched in June 2018, the project is led by scientists and experts from Estonia, Italy and Pakistan. The goal is to develop a hardware prototype to be tested in a live experimentation.

What is your biggest challenge in this field of research?

Enabling connectivity in difficult situations is one of the biggest challenges. For instance, when telecommunication infrastructure, such as a cellular base station, is damaged or disabled. This involves optimising radio-frequency resource utilisation, managing/cancelling interference, managing key performance indicators such as energy efficiency, data rates and delays.

What is the value of the NATO SPS Programme?

The NATO SPS Programme is an excellent platform to conduct research projects that have a direct impact on real life, addressing significant societal issues.

The Programme also enables collaboration with both NATO member and partner countries. This not only allows sharing and developing new scientific and technical knowledge, skills and competencies, but also developing a better understanding of various cultures, such as a natural step towards tolerance and peace.

What is your favourite part of your job?

I truly enjoy having deep scientific and technical discussions with team members and peers.

I pay attention to the impact of my research both from the point of view of excellence and society.

What dont your colleagues know about you?

I love to cook delicious spicy food.

Professor Alam is NATO Project Director in the Multi-Year Project "Public Safety Communication in Context Related to Terror Attacks" (dubbed Counter Terror). Through this NATO Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Programme activity, scientists from Estonia, Italy and Pakistan are studying innovative solutions to the challenges of ensuring reliable communication in crisis situations and reducing response times by security forces.

"Scientists of NATO" introduces some of the experts involved with the SPS Programme. The Programme promotes dialogue and practical cooperation between NATO member and partner nations based on scientific research, technological innovation and knowledge exchange. It offers funding, expert advice and support to tailor-made, security-relevant activities that respond to NATO's strategic objectives.

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Who is Prof. Muhammad Mahtab Alam? - Five questions to a scientist who aims to reduce the response time in case of terrorist attacks - NATO HQ

The evolution of a wide-ranging system of agreements and understandings moderating security risks during the Cold War period was built upon an extended, if sometimes difficult, interchange between the United States and its NATO partners on the one hand, and the members of the Soviet-directed Warsaw Pact on the other. Its evolution also required substantive exchanges as to competing aims and interests within the rival blocs.

The system that then emerged and retained a degree of practical effect even after the collapse of the USSR has since deteriorated to the point of extinction, even as confrontation between Russia and NATO has been reborn.

In this policy brief, Sir Andrew Wood considers what lessons, if any, are worth drawing for the situation now from the experience of navigating the Soviet-NATO interchange then.

Download the Policy Brief here

The opinions articulated above represent the views of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of the European Leadership Network (ELN) or any of the ELNs members. The ELNs aim is to encourage debates that will help develop Europes capacity to address pressing foreign, defence, and security challenges.

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Now and then: Navigating the security agenda between Russia and NATO - European Leadership Network

NATO hosted the fourth Annual Meeting of the Civil Society Advisory Panel on Women, Peace and Security on 12 and 13 November 2019. Discussions focused on the importance of strengthened cooperation between NATO and civil society in order to promote a grassroots understanding of conflict, peace and security. As emphasized by the Secretary Generals Special Representative for Women, Peace and Security, Clare Hutchinson, the Alliance needs you, it is more important than ever before for us to adopt an inclusive approach to address complex challenges to defence and security.

Representatives from the Civil Society Advisory Panel came from all over the world, including from Afghanistan, Ukraine and Georgia. As an independent coalition of womens rights experts, the Panel assists NATO in the effective implementation of the Women, Peace and Security mandate across the Alliance. In the words of the NATO Deputy Secretary General, Mircea Geoan, CSAP is a unique platform for NATO, and we should call on civil society advice more.

The Panel also brought together NATO Allies and partner nations in a meeting of the Partnerships and Cooperative Security Committee. Many nations underlined their support for NATOs Women, Peace and Security Policy, and expressed interest in intensifying NATOs engagement with civil society.

The Civil Society Advisory Panel was first established in 2016 and was renewed in 2019. It is a unique forum for regular consultation and dialogue between civil society and NATO that works through the Secretary Generals Special Representative for Women, Peace and Security.

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NATO hosts the 4th Annual Meeting of the Civil Society Advisory Panel on Women, Peace and Security - NATO HQ

Mr. Macron is not the first French president to call for the creation of a NATO-free European military alliance.

CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT/AFP/Getty Images

At some point in the foreseeable future, Europe is likely to end its seven-decade-old protective relationship with the United States, possibly supplementing or breaking up NATO in the process and creating an independent continental defence network.

The question is when that point will be. Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, has shocked other European leaders, North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies and many of his French colleagues by suggesting it ought to be now.

The Dec. 3 NATO summit in London was going to be a fraught event anyway. U.S. President Donald Trumps disdain for the 29-country military alliance has already made a mess of the last couple of summits, and Turkey, a 67-year member, has been testing the limits of NATOs values and constitution with attacks on Kurdish forces in Syria.

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But Mr. Macron has turned these stress lines into an existential crisis. In an explosive interview last week, he declared that what we are currently experiencing is the brain death of NATO, adding: The instability of our American partner and rising tensions have meant that the idea of European defence is gradually taking hold. In my opinion, Europe has the capacity to defend itself.

He questioned whether NATOs Article 5, which requires all members to come to the defence of anyone that is attacked, has practical value any more. He spent this past week stressing that he wants to turn the coming London summit into a debate about the existence and meaning of NATO and to get the European Union to strengthen its own mutual-defence clause, presumably in preparation for a break with the alliance a prospect that alarms non-European NATO members, notably Canada.

Taken in isolation, none of this is new or surprising. That NATO is brain dead in the sense of being devoid of co-ordinated thinking or agreement on priorities has been apparent for years. Its an open question whether Article 5 is still useful (if Turkey were to invoke it in response to a Kurdish action, many predict it would not hold up). And Mr. Trump has shown that the U.S. can no longer be trusted as the sole guarantor of a continents defence.

Mr. Macron is not the first French president to call for the creation of a NATO-free European military alliance. In fact, almost every president of the republic from Charles de Gaulle onward has made some gesture along those lines. I personally watched Jacques Chirac and Nicolas Sarkozy, on occasions a decade apart, call for a European defence force.

But if European unity was Mr. Macrons goal, his gestures dramatically and perhaps deliberately failed.

On Thursday, at a congress of centre-right politicians in Zagreb, Croatia, German Chancellor Angela Merkel struck back. We dont need to turn the order of the past on its head, she said even though she too has suggested, as recently as 2017, that Europe should develop its own defence alliance. For me, NATO remains the transatlantic alliance. It is right to also have a European pillar of defence policy, but inside NATO.

And Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO secretary-general, has been pointing out that, assuming Brexit occurs, about 80 per cent of NATOs military spending will come from non-EU members a tough gap to fill.

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At root is a dispute not over the future of NATO the French and Germans are not far apart on that but the organization of Europe. As such, if Mr. Macrons observations and aims are sound, his methods are downright baffling.

As he was demanding European independence from NATO, he was simultaneously calling for a reconciliation with Vladimir Putins Russia France will play host to a summit to this effect in December, convened with the friendly assistance of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Suffice to say that many European countries see Mr. Putin and Mr. Orban as exactly the sort of threats Europe needs to defend itself against. Add to this the fact Mr. Macron has been boasting of his excellent talks about NATO with Mr. Trump, and the French President has managed to divide Europeans against themselves with rare efficiency.

Mr. Macron is an intensely strategic political player who tends to overcalculate every gesture and statement. And he has been clear that his goal is a smaller, more unified Europe one that would place France, soon to be the EUs only nuclear-armed country, at the forefront. Perhaps this is his clever, roundabout way toward that goal. If so, it could end up unifying Europe, but more likely in support of a renewed NATO than any French-led alternative.

Doug Saunders, The Globe and Mails international-affairs columnist, is currently a Richard von Weizsaecker Fellow of the Robert Bosch Academy in Berlin.

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NATO may be on the rocks, but Macrons breakup note is no answer - The Globe and Mail

British ambassador John MarshallPhoto:Chris Karaba

On 3-4 December, the UK will host the NATO Leaders Meeting, to celebrate NATOs 70th anniversary.

Luxembourgs prime minister Xavier Bettel will attend. The UK is delighted to host this special event because London hosted the organisations first HQ, in Belgrave Square. Now of course NATO has its HQ in Brussels.

Luxembourg is one of 12 founding members of NATO, and also a founding member of the European Union. But whereas the EU is on everyones lips daily here, the same cant be said of NATO.

It surprises me that you dont hear politicians, journalists, academics and other commentators in Luxembourg speak more about an organisation that can claim to be the most successful Alliance in history. The organisation established by Luxembourg, the UK and ten other countries in Washington on 4 April 1949, remains as important and relevant today.

The commitment we made in 1949 one for all, and all for one has kept us safe, and preserved our freedoms and our way of life, for 70 years. In London, leaders will not only celebrate the organisations 70th anniversary, but also take stock of how NATO has adapted to the challenges of the 21st century and set the Alliances future direction.

How has NATO adapted? In the 5 years since 2014, the year Russia invaded Crimea, and Daesh emerged in Syria, NATO has implemented the biggest reinforcement of collective deterrence and defence for a generation.

The relationship that we have today with Russia is not the one that any Ally wants. But in the face of Russian aggression (Crimea, Donbas); malign activity (disinformation, interference in elections); and abuse of the international rules based system (use of chemical weapons on European soil in Salisbury; development and fielding of a new missile system in violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty), NATO must continue to adapt its deterrence and defence.

Since the Wales Summit in 2014, NATO has deployed new battlegroups to the Baltics and Poland and increased air policing across Europe. The UK has led the battlegroup in Estonia, while Luxembourg has contributed to the German-led battlegroup in Lithuania.

We have tripled the size of the NATO Response Force (NRF), a technologically advanced multinational force that the Alliance can deploy, wherever needed. And within the NRF, NATO has created a spearhead force, known as the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force, which is able to deploy at even shorter notice to protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of NATO allies.

NATO allies have also increased the organisations contribution to the global fight against terrorism, joining the Global Coalition Against Daesh and building defence capacity in Afghanistan (where NATO has 16,000 troops), Jordan and Syria. It has also put in place 24/7 missile defence against threats from the Middle East.

Far from being brain-dead as president Macron said recently, NATO Allies have agreed new strategies for air power, maritime posture, countering hybrid attacks, cyber, for the defence of vulnerable Allies as well as a new Military Strategy. And many European Allies though not yet all are responding to the need to invest more in defence.

Eight Allies have now reached the target of investing 2% of GDP in defence agreed at the Wales Summit in 2014. Nine others plan to reach or exceed 2% by 2024.

NATO continues to be the cornerstone of Euro-Atlantic Security, keeping one billion people safe. Europe does need to take greater responsibility for the common security challenges we all face. But the idea of EU strategic autonomy advanced by some does not make sense if it means duplicating NATO or excluding the EUs closest partners.

Without the US, European Allies would need to spend 5-6% of GDP, not 2%, on defence.

NATO is the most successful Alliance in history because it has adapted to new challenges, from the Cold War to cyber threats.

Decembers Leaders Meeting in London will be an opportunity to continue this evolution to ensure NATO remains relevant to meet future threats and keep its 29 members soon to be 30 with the accession of North Macedonia safe.

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World - NATO needs to keep adapting to changing threats - Luxembourg Times