Preparing for all future eventualities: NATO Defence Ministers Meeting in Brussels - Day 1

By Nigel Chamberlain, NATO Watch

Doorstep Statement by the NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen

Key areas for discussion:

  • NATO Forces 2020 to build an Alliance that is ready and able to address twenty-first century challenges.
  • Connected Forces Initiative to build on the lessons we have learnt in two decades of operations, as Allies and with partners.
  • Cyber Defence to protect NATO networks and how the Alliance should address growing threats through an enhanced cyber policy and cyber defence. 
  • Cooperation with Russia where it is practical, such as counterterrorism and support for Afghanistan, and where it possible, such as missile defence.
  • Transition in Afghanistan and security and advice on defence institution building in Libya

Q1. Dieter Eberling from DPA, the German Press Agency: I understand that the Germans have proposed a concept of Framework Nations which they hope to become a NATO deliverable at the Summit.  This idea of creating clusters with responsibility of some nations for certain areas of competence. What is your assessment of that concept? Do you think that this could be a Summit deliverable?

A1. Secretary General: I welcome the German proposal to create what is called a Framework Nation Concept, a proposal that was tabled by Defence Minister de Maizière when we met in June. Such cooperation could lead to acquiring and developing much needed military capabilities and advance the Smart Defence concept. It is about promoting multilateral cooperation. I would expect Defence Ministers to decide today that we will continue working on this Framework Nations Concept with a view to our next Defence Ministers' meeting in 2014.

Q2. Italian News Agency: Yesterday NATO launched the advisory mission in Libya for helping Libyan authorities to build its defence, and symbolically speaking, it's NATO's first boots-on-ground in Libya. And it sounds as a strong support to the premier and his government and I would like you first to assess what is the political meaning of this mission. And second, since for you the main emergency in Libya is border control and immigration flows, does it sound that NATO is ready to help Europe on immigration issues?

A2. Secretary General: The purpose of this advisory effort is to help the Libyan authorities build defence institutions like, for instance, a modern defence Ministry, or general staff of the military. It could also be to help the Libyan authorities develop what we call a security architecture, how to structure the defence sector. I do believe that all efforts that contribute to an improvement of the security situation in Libya, as well as other parts of North Africa, and the Middle East, will also mitigate illegal migration.

There was no coverage of the bilateral meetings with the Ministers of Defence of Canada and Albania and the US Secretary of Defense, nor of the meeting of the Nuclear Planning Group.

In his opening remarks prior to the North Atlantic Council meeting, the Secretary General said that the meeting would be an important stepping-stone towards next year’s summit in the United Kingdom. The summit will review the substantial efforts in Afghanistan and define support after 2014. Focus must be maintained on shaping future security by ensuring that NATO has the right capabilities to deal with the challenges of the twenty-first century. 

Progress made on cyber defence and on missile defence since last discussed in June will be reviewed. The Connected Forces Initiative will play a key part in sustaining the hard-won experience from over twenty years of operations through education, training and exercises. NATO ensures the best possible return on investment with a new command structure at the end of the year. Numbers will be reduced by a third, the structure will be more dynamic, more easily deployable and flexible. The reform of NATO will ensure that the Alliance uses its resources effectively and efficiently.

There was no coverage of the late afternoon session of the North Atlantic Council.

In his press conference following the North Atlantic Council meeting, the Secretary General highlighted three issues which had been addressed:

1. Agreement has been reached on the key elements of the Connected Forces Initiative in order to reach the goal of NATO Forces 2020: modern, tightly connected forces equipped, trained, exercised, and commanded so that they can operate together, and with partners, in any environment. Spain, Portugal and Italy have offered to host a major live exercise in 2015. This exercise will involve a significant number of deployed forces on land, at sea and in the air. From 2016 onwards, major live exercises will be held on a regular basis, with a broader scope and covering the full range of Alliance missions, “to make sure our troops are prepared to deal with the challenges on the horizon”.

2. Agreement that NATO should play a role to facilitate the development of strong national cyber defence capabilities in addition to defending and upgrading its own networks, which are on track to counter this fast-evolving threat. Allies will share information, intelligence and best practices by helping nations to come together to develop capabilities in joint projects.  

3. Agreement to continue to deploy missile defences to defend populations, territory and forces against missile attacks from outside the Euro-Atlantic area with groundbreaking for the land-based Aegis system in Romania by the end of October. 

There follows the edited highlights of the Q&A session.

Q1. Teri Schultz with NPR and CBS: Do you get the sense that Allies' impatience has been eased somewhat by the Kerry-Karzai talks in Kabul, even though this means the Loya Jirga will not make this decision on jurisdiction until the end of November upon which NATO’s own SOFA is dependent?

A1. Secretary General: I am confident that a Bilateral Security Agreement will be signed by the US and Afghanistan and that NATO will sign a Status-of-Forces Agreement. The Afghans know that such agreements are a prerequisite for the deployment of trainers after 2014. 

Q2. Turkish Media: What kind of arguments did you have in the meetings to persuade Turkey not to buy the Chinese missile system?  Did this include any offer of technology transfer from an Allied country? Wouldn't it be also a point of advantage to have actually Chinese systems in Turkey so that NATO can see what Chinese systems look like? 

A2. Secretary General: "We have not discussed this issue in the meetings this afternoon."  It is a national decision to decide which equipment to purchase. However, it is of utmost importance that the systems nations plan to acquire can work and operate together with similar systems in other allied nations. I'm confident that Turkey's authorities will take that into account before taking the final decision. I don't know anything about the technical configuration of Chinese systems. 

Q3. Polish Radio: What's your assessment and expectation of the Steadfast Jazz exercises which will be held next month in Poland? Will these exercises be discussed at the NATO-Russia Council tomorrow?

A3. Secretary General: I see that exercise as one example of what I would call ‘Future NATO’ - a NATO that stays prepared for all eventualities. The purpose of the exercise is to test and certify the NATO Response Force. I would expect military exercises to be one of the topics to be discussed in the NATO-Russia Council meeting tomorrow. I appreciate that NATO observers were invited to observe the Zapad 13 exercise.  And similarly, we have invited Russian observers to observe the Steadfast Jazz exercise. Transparency is important.

Q4. Sabina Zibor with Reuters: Could you tell us what reception the German proposal for a ‘Framework Nation Concept’ got in the ministerial... and if there were any decisions taken?

A4. Secretary General:  I heard a lot of appreciation for the German proposal.  We have a very constructive discussion on that.  I see the German proposal as one of several avenues to ensure that we can acquire the necessary military capabilities in the future. Ministers agreed that we should continue to work on this project.

Q5. Europa Press: Will Spain and Portugal in the end host the big live exercise for 2015? 

A5. Secretary General: A lot of appreciation was expressed in today's meeting for the offer to host the 2015 exercise.