Monday, May 14, 2018

Dunford Arrives in Brussels for NATO Meetings


By Jim Garamone, DoD News, Defense Media Activity

BRUSSELS -- Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, arrived here today to participate in NATO Military Committee chiefs of defense meetings that will set the stage for the alliance defense ministerial conference next month and the NATO summit in July.

Dunford will join the chiefs of defense from the other NATO members “to discuss NATO operations and missions and provide the North Atlantic Council with consensus-based military advice on how the alliance can best meet global security challenges,” said Joint Staff spokesman Air Force Col. Patrick Ryder.

Czech Gen. Petr Pavel chairs the Military Committee, the highest military council in the alliance.

Issues Confronting the Alliance

The meetings will examine a range of issues confronting the alliance. The chiefs of defense will discuss Russia and the progress of deterrence in Eastern Europe. Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller and Greek army Gen. Mikhail Kostarakos, the chairman of the European Union Military Committee, will join the discussion.

The chiefs will also discuss threats in the Middle East and North Africa. They will discuss the military aspects of NATO’s Projecting Stability initiative, including the NATO training effort in Iraq. Leaders from the partner nations of Australia, Finland, Sweden, Georgia and Jordan will join that discussion.

The chiefs will examine NATO-European Union cooperation, especially in regard to military mobility, the reinforcement of the alliance maritime posture and the NATO Readiness initiative.

NATO Modernization

Finally, the chiefs will discuss alliance modernization. Army Gen. Curtis M. Scaparrotti, the supreme allied commander for Europe and commander of U.S. European Command, and French air force Gen. Denis Mersier, the supreme allied commander for transformation, will brief the chiefs on the NATO command structure adaptation and the detailed implementation plan.

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