NATO News

On Thursday, 10 December 2020, the NATO Deputy Secretary General, Mr. Mircea Geoană will deliver a keynote speech and participate in a panel at the American Enterprise Institute on Resilience.

Belgium, Denmark, and the Netherlands declared their Composite Special Operations Component Command (C-SOCC) headquarters as fully operational on Monday 7 December 2020. The Composite Special Operations Component Command combines national capabilities from the three participating nations into a deployable multinational headquarters, specifically designed for commanding several Special Operations Forces task groups. This innovative approach provides the participating nations with a capability that exceeds the sum of their individual national contributions.

Born in 1950, Mr. Franz Wascotte, Belgian nationality, studied law, and before he joined an insurance company with main activities in international trade (1974), he completed his expertise in the fiscal and tax domains.

On 3 and 4 December 2020, the NATO Defense College Academic Advisory Board (AAB) convened its 50th annual meeting in Rome, Italy. The AAB aims to advise the Commandant on ways in which to improve the academic, research and outreach activities of the College, to enhance links with NATO HQ and Allied Command Transformation, and to ensure that NDC outreach strategies contribute to those of the Alliance.

Speaking at the European Defence Agency Annual Conference on 4 December, the NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană said that sustaining European defence is very important for NATO because European defence is “inextricably linked to transatlantic defence”.

On Monday, 7 December 2020, the NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg will receive the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia, Mr. Ivan Korčok.

Captain Boris serves in the Régiment de Marche du Tchad, a French Army infantry regiment made up of marine forces that contributes to NATO’s enhanced forward presence in Lithuania. There, he commands around one hundred infantry troops.

NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană spoke on Thursday 3 December at the Concordia Americas Summit on the importance of having global partnerships with countries like Colombia, to counter common challenges such as pandemics, terrorism or climate change.

Speaking at the NATO web conference “Modular Design - Creating a NATO Technology App Store” on 3 December 2020, Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană said that engaging with experts from different areas and backgrounds is important for NATO in order to speed up adoption of new technology.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday (3 December 2020) thanked a group of experts for a new report outlining their suggestions for the Secretary General’s NATO 2030 initiative on how to bolster NATO’s political cohesion and ability to face new security challenges.

On Monday, 7 December 2020, the NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg will take part in POLITICO 28, an annual ranking of the people with the greatest impact on politics and policy-making in Europe. This live, virtual event, organised by Politico Europe, a news organisation, will include an interview with the Secretary General, as well as a presentation of the POLITICO 28 Class of 2021.

On Friday, 4 December 2020, the NATO Deputy Secretary General, Mr. Mircea Geoană will deliver a keynote speech at the Annual Conference of the European Defence Agency.

NATO foreign ministers met virtually on Wednesday (2 December 2020) to discuss the global shift in the balance of power with the rise of China. They were joined by Asia-Pacific partners Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea, and by Finland, Sweden, and the European Union High Representative. In a separate session, Allies met with the foreign ministers of Georgia and Ukraine to address security in the Black Sea region and NATO’s political and practical support to both partners.

NATO foreign ministers concluded two days of virtual meetings on Wednesday (2 December 2020) to discuss key issues, including NATO’s adaptation, Russia’s military build-up, the rise of China, and Afghanistan.

NATO Foreign Ministers met virtually on Tuesday (1 December 2020) to discuss key issues for the Alliance. They include an outside expert panel report on how to further adapt NATO for the future, Russia’s military build-up and NATO’s training mission in Afghanistan.

On 3 December 2020, at 15:00 CET, NATO will host a conference with a spotlight on modularity. Modular Design has become a central approach for a wide range of industry sectors enabling them to disrupt and innovate at speed. Car manufacturers, space engineers, software developers or consumer electronics companies have embraced the concept in their design and development processes. Modularity in varying degrees has also found its way into the defence sector, allowing greater interoperability and flexibility of fighter jets, tanks, ships or entire technology ecosystems.

On Thursday, 3 December 2020, the NATO Deputy Secretary General, Mr. Mircea Geoană will deliver a speech at the Concordia Americas Summit on the importance of NATO’s partnership with Colombia.

NATO Foreign Ministers will meet via secure video conference on Tuesday and Wednesday (1-2 December 2020) to discuss key issues for the Alliance. They include NATO’s continued adaptation, Russia’s military build-up, the rise of China, and NATO’s training mission in Afghanistan.