NATO News

From 8 until 10 September 2024, the Chair of the NATO Military Committee Admiral Bauer visited long-standing NATO Partner Mongolia upon the invitation of the Chief of the General Staff of the Mongolian Armed Forces. Admiral Bauer’s visit underscored the value of NATO’s ongoing partnership with Mongolia. It allowed Admiral Bauer to express NATO’s commitment to strengthening dialogue and cooperation in building capabilities and interoperability, and to share the outcomes of the 2024 Washington DC Summit. The NATO-Mongolia partnership has been demonstrated through education, peacekeeping, and capacity-building. Admiral Bauer conveyed to his Mongolian counterparts that NATO Member States and Mongolia are linked by shared aspirations, and as democracies, share a fundamental desire for peace and stability.

On Tuesday (10 September), NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) named the ten start-ups selected for the next phase of the accelerator’s programme. Each of these innovators is developing a deep technology solution for one of three security challenges identified by NATO Allies: sensing and surveillance, energy resilience, and secure information sharing. The solutions they offer employ quantum devices, smart renewable energy platforms, underwater drones, and intelligent antennas for challenging environments.

On September 6, 2024, a group of students from the Colombian War College was welcomed to the NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. The group was briefed by the NATO International Military Staff on the role of NATO as a security provider and on practical cooperation with Colombia, in light of the outcomes of Washington Summit.

On Thursday 5 September 2024, the Chair of the NATO Military Committee Admiral Rob Bauer paid an official visit to his native country the Netherlands. Here he was received by Prime Minister Dick Schoof, Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans, Secretary for Defence Gijs Tuinman and Chief of Defence General Eichelsheim. In addition, Admiral Bauer met with the Standing Committee for Defence of the Dutch House of Representatives.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre in Oslo on Friday (6 September 2024), to discuss continued support to strengthen Ukraine’s defences.

Cyber is an integral part of modern warfare and cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure, government institutions, international organisations and electoral processes are becoming more frequent and sophisticated. On Wednesday (4 September), senior cyber policy experts from NATO Allies and Asia-Pacific partners gathered at the Cyber Champions Summit in Sydney, Australia, to discuss current cybersecurity challenges and explore new avenues for cooperation.

Scientists at the Andøya Space Center in Northern Norway have been examining the challenges posed by unidentified weather patterns at high altitudes for satellite launches, re-entry procedures, and new hypersonic systems.

On 5 and 6 September 2024, the NATO Secretary General, Mr Jens Stoltenberg, will visit Norway.

In the realm of defence and international security, few individuals possess the depth of experience and strategic insight that Colonel (Ret.) Richard Williams brings to the table. With a career spanning over five decades, Williams has served in a variety of roles, from military and NATO leadership positions to academic and consulting endeavours. Read on to learn more about his military path and his significant contributions at NATO in the fields of demining, demilitarisation of unexploded munitions and counter-terrorism.

On Tuesday, 3 September 2024, Mircea Geoană notified the Secretary General that he will step down as NATO Deputy Secretary General (DSG) on 10 September.

On 29 and 30 August at City St George's, University of London, four teams from universities in the Netherlands, United Kingdom, United States, and Austria took part in the SAPIENCE drone competition, part of a project supported by the NATO Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Programme.

NATO and the United Nations continue to strengthen their long-standing cooperation. On 27 August 2024, representatives from both organisations met at the UN Regional Service Centre in Entebbe to mark the successful completion of two joint capacity-building initiatives related to information and communications technology.

The NATO-Ukraine Council met on Wednesday (28 August 2024) following recent heavy Russian airstrikes against Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure. Allies strongly condemned Russia’s indiscriminate strikes and reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen Ukraine’s defences.

Building on their long-standing partnership, NATO and Iraq have launched a political dialogue process. Earlier today, a delegation of high-level Iraqi officials led by the National Security Advisor, Qasim al-Araji, visited Alliance Headquarters for discussions with senior NATO officials.

The NATO Through Time podcast dives deep into NATO’s history, reflecting on how the past influences the present – and future – of the longest-lasting alliance in history. This episode features former President of Latvia Dr Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga, who helped lead her country into NATO in 2004.

NATO Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy, Ambassador Boris Ruge, held high-level consultations in Sarajevo, Pristina and Belgrade from 16 to 22 August 2024. Ambassador Ruge highlighted that the Western Balkans is a region of strategic importance for the Alliance and reiterated NATO Allies’ steadfast commitment to lasting security. He noted the continued, long-standing cooperation between NATO, the European Union and other international organisations to consolidate regional stability.

The State Emergency Service of Ukraine has issued a request for international assistance via NATO’s emergency response mechanism, the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre. The request is for heavy equipment to support civilian emergency responders dealing with the consequences of Russia’s daily attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.

Three NATO ships conducted a successful passing exercise with two Japanese ships in the Eastern Mediterranean on Wednesday (14 August 2024).

NATO’s highest Military Authority, the Military Committee, will meet from 13 to 14 September 2024, in Prague, Czech Republic. During the in-person meeting, the Chiefs of Defence will discuss military strategic developments within the Alliance. Czech President Petr Pavel will join for the opening of the Military Committee Conference.

A new NATO-funded initiative aims to make the internet less vulnerable to disruption by rerouting the flow of information into space in the event that undersea cables are attacked or accidentally severed. The $2.5 million project, launched on 31 July 2024, was partially funded by NATO’s Science for Peace and Security programme (SPS).