By Jim Garamone DoD News, Defense Media Activity
WASHINGTON, Jan. 17, 2018 — Continued change from
Afghanistan, confronting Russia, and enhancing 360-degree European security
highlighted discussions during the NATO Military Committee Meeting in Brussels
these past two days.
Committee Chairman Gen. Petr Pavel of the Czech army said
alliance chiefs of defense, joined by partner-nation chiefs, recommended
changes to NATO’s command structure, but he did not reveal specifics, noting
that alliance defense ministers still must rule on the recommendations.
Pavel spoke at a news conference here today after the
committee meeting, along with U.S. Army Gen. Curtis M. Scaparrotti, NATO’s supreme
allied commander for Europe, and Gen. Denis Mercier of the French air force,
the alliance’s supreme allied commander for transformation.
NATO faces changes in Afghanistan and in Iraq, to the east
as the alliance deploys troops to deter a resurgent Russia, and to the south,
where NATO is working with partner nations to build stability and military
capabilities in North Africa and the Middle East.
The chiefs addressed issues of security and stability in
Europe’s southern neighborhood. “This is one of the greatest transnational
security challenges that we face, and one which impacts every nation around the
globe,” Pavel said. “NATO’s network of partners, complemented with
international organizations such as the European Union and the United Nations,
allows us to work more effectively and in a comprehensive manner.”
Closer Cooperation
The general added that he wants the alliance to cooperate
even more closely, sharing experiences and expertise and avoiding duplication
of effort.
The chiefs – including partner nations – also received
briefings from the commander of the alliance’s Resolute Support mission in
Afghanistan, Pavel said. Much has changed in the nation over the past year, he
noted – the United States put its South Asia Strategy into place, and the
alliance agreed to a larger train-and-assist effort in Afghanistan.
“We discussed the strategic, operational and political
context in and around Afghanistan, as well as our main effort to train, assist
and advise the Afghan security forces and institutions,” Pavel said, adding
that all of the chiefs stressed the enduring nature of the mission in
Afghanistan and recognized the progress being made by Afghan security forces.
The chiefs also discussed alliance operations in Iraq and
NATO’s participation in the global coalition against the Islamic State of Iraq
and Syria. Pavel said the mission is transitioning from combat to
stabilization. “We deliberated how NATO could adapt our current activity within
our training and capacity-building initiative in Iraq, upon request by the
Iraqi authorities and taking into consideration the importance of local
ownership and buy-in,” he added.
Georgia and Ukraine
The chiefs also received briefings on the situation in
Georgia and Ukraine.
“The chiefs of defense noted the challenge for Ukraine of
achieving security and defense reforms alongside re-establishing Ukraine’s
territorial integrity,” Pavel said. “They also recognized the progress made in
the Ukrainian armed forces reform and stressed their commitment to furthering
the capability and interoperability of the Ukrainian armed forces.” He added
that the chiefs also gave unqualified support to the NATO-Georgia defense
package and welcomed Georgia’s constructive approach to the ongoing security
situation.
Scaparrotti described how the security environment in Europe
has changed. “Today’s strategic context is different than when we made the last
[NATO command structure] change -- a resurgence of Russia as a strategic
competitor, growing unrest and instability in Africa and the Middle East, as
well as terrorism reshaping our strategic environment,” he said. “This security
environment is compounded by the rapid growth and proliferation of new
technologies -- technologies that can be acquired by both state and nonstate
actors.”
This requires changes and adaptation by the alliance, the
general said.
“Our ability to respond requires different approaches and
different capabilities,” he said. “At NATO, and especially in [Allied Command
Operations], national, bilateral and collective alliance efforts must be
integrated and mutually reinforcing. This is fundamental to our success,
because strategic unity keeps us strong.”
Scaparrotti said he is pleased with the way nations have
responded. He pointed to the enhanced forward presence initiative in Latvia,
Estonia, Lithuania and Poland as one example and then cited others, including
the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force, Baltic Air Policing, enhanced air
policing and ongoing maritime operations.
The alliance must keep up this effort in order to react “at
the speed of relevance,” Scaparrotti said.
Continued Evolution
Mercier noted that the evolution of the strategic
environment is one of the main drivers for the Military Committee sessions, “to
ensure that our NATO military capacity remains fit for purpose, now and in the
foreseeable future.”
The transformation chief emphasized that the alliance must
continue to transform or risk becoming irrelevant. “Whether inside or outside
the defense community, the organizations that thrive in a complex and rapidly
changing environment are those that acknowledge the necessity to simultaneously
operate and adapt,” he said. “We cannot afford to address our deficiencies
without setting our sights to the longer term, and this is what my mission is
about.”
His command focuses on warfare development to ensure that
the alliance has the military capacity and posture needed to face any future
challenges, he said.
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