NATO News

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg took part in a ceremony near Arnhem in the Netherlands on Saturday (21 September 2019) to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Operation Market Garden – the allied operation in World War II to liberate the Netherlands.

NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller welcomed the Alliance’s partnership with Ireland in a visit to Dublin on Friday (20 September 2019). Meeting with Secretary General of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Niall Burgess, the Deputy Secretary General praised Ireland’s contributions to international peace and security, including through its contributions to UN and EU peacekeeping operations, as well as the NATO-led peacekeeping force in Kosovo. While stressing NATO’s firm respect for Ireland’s military neutrality, she praised the country’s cooperation with NATO, which benefits both NATO and Ireland in today’s challenging security environment.

The NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg, will travel to New York from Monday 23 September through Thursday 26 September 2019 to attend the High-level Week of the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

The NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg will travel to the Netherlands on Saturday, 21 September 2019.

On Thursday 19 September 2019, the NATO Deputy Secretary General, Ms. Rose Gottemoeller, will travel to Dublin. She will meet with women who have been involved in the Northern Irish peace process, as well as international peacekeepers, academics, and senior civilian and military officials.

The Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach visited Serbia on 16-17 September where he met with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, the Serbian Minister of Defence, Mr Aleksandar Vulin, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Ivica Dacic, and the Chief of Defence, General Milan Mojsilovic.

Engineer Thunder 2019, a major Lithuanian-led exercise, wrapped up in Pabrade on Friday (13 September 2019). The exercise, which began on 4 September, mobilised troops from NATO’s enhanced forward presence battlegroup in Lithuania, as well as combat engineers from Latvia, Poland and the United States.

Paul Beckley grew up in Long Island in south-eastern New York State. When he was a young boy, he liked watching the fishing boats entering the marina. “I loved the smell of the salt air,” says Paul. “Few years after, I joined the US Naval Academy. I was 18 years old.”

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday (18 September 2019) unveiled the logo for the next meeting of NATO Heads of State and Government. It will take place on 3-4 December 2019 in London to mark NATO’s 70th anniversary. In 1949, the United Kingdom was one of NATO’s twelve founding members and London was the home of NATO’s first headquarters. The meeting in London will be an opportunity for leaders to address current and emerging security challenges and to ensure that the Alliance continues to adapt to keep its population of nearly one billion people safe.

From 15 to 16 September, the Chairman of NATO’s Military Committee Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach visited Croatia, where he reaffirmed NATO’s gratitude for Croatia’s contributions to the Alliance. While in Croatia, Air Chief Marshal Peach met with the Croatian Chief of Defence, General Mirko Šundov, and Croatia’s Minister of Defence, Mr. Damir Krstičević to discuss NATO’s ongoing missions and activities and security in the Western Balkans.

A new NATO command in the German city of Ulm achieved initial operating capability on Tuesday (17 September 2019). The establishment of the Joint Support and Enabling Command is part of NATO’s increased deterrence and defence in response to a changed security environment. The new command will help to speed up, coordinate and safeguard the movement of allied armour and infantry across European borders.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi on Tuesday (17 September 2019) for talks on the Alliance’s new training mission in the country and the security situation in the region. The Secretary General paid tribute to the bravery of the Iraqi forces in liberating their country from Daesh and freeing millions from oppression, saying this victory makes Iraq safer, and NATO safer too.

Dozens of unmanned underwater, surface and air vehicles from NATO countries are gathering in Portugal from 11 to 27 September 2019 to test new technological advances in unmanned maritime systems networks. The exercise is being held in the Sesimbra and Troia Peninsula area in the south of Lisbon.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg arrived in Baghdad on Monday (16 September 2019) for talks with the Iraqi government and the leadership of the Alliance’s new training mission in the country. Mr. Stoltenberg is being accompanied by the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Tod Wolters.

The twenty-nine NATO Chiefs of Defence, as well as the invitee Chief of Defence from the Republic of North Macedonia, gathered in Ljubljana, Slovenia 13-15 September 19 for the final Military Committee conference of 2019.

Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg joined US Permanent Representative Kay Bailey Hutchison at the 9/11 and Article 5 Memorial at NATO Headquarters on Wednesday (11 September 2019), for a ceremony commemorating the 18th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. Mr. Stoltenberg recalled that the attack led to the invocation of the Alliance's collective defence clause for the first and only time in history, and that Allies stand united in the "global, generational fight" against terrorism. He said: "Europe and North America must continue to stand together now as we stood together on 9/11, united in our commitment to protect our people and our values."

Experts from the US (Kurt D. Donnelly, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Energy Resources, Department of State), Poland (Mr Piotr Naimski, Secretary of State, Prime Minister's Chancellery, Government Plenipotentiary for Strategic Energy Infrastructure) and Germany (Ms Michaela Spaeth, Deputy Director-General for Energy and Climate Policy, Federal Foreign Office) met with the Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and discussed with the North Atlantic Council energy developments in the Euro-Atlantic area and their security implications for Allies and the Alliance.

NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller welcomed the Alliance’s strong partnership with Sweden in a visit to Stockholm this week. Meeting with Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist on Tuesday (10 September 2019), the Deputy Secretary General praised Sweden’s contributions to international security, including through NATO missions in Afghanistan, Kosovo and Iraq. She thanked Sweden for its participation in NATO exercises and contribution to Baltic Sea security.

Speaking at the Oslo Nuclear Forum on Monday (9 September 2019), NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller highlighted the unique role played by nuclear weapons in the Alliance’s deterrence posture. She stressed that “NATO maintains full political control over nuclear decision-making”, explaining that “the fundamental purpose of NATO’s nuclear capability is to preserve peace, prevent coercion, and deter aggression”.

Celebrating the 15th anniversary of Bulgaria’s accession to NATO and the Alliance’s 70th anniversary, the traditional Ekiden relay marathon took place in central Sofia on Friday (6 September 2019). The popular annual event saw a record number of participants this year – 606 runners, organised in 101 teams. The ‘Marathon Plovdiv’ team won the race in 2 hours, 11 minutes and 36 seconds, beating the previous record by 4 minutes.