By Jim Garamone, DoD News, Defense Media Activity
WASHINGTON -- NATO defense ministers approved the creation
of two new joint force commands and discussed burden sharing during their
meeting in Brussels today.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also announced that
for the fourth year in a row, alliance defense spending has grown.
Defense Secretary James N. Mattis is attending the defense
ministers meeting for the United States.
The NATO defense ministers approved creation of a joint
force command in Norfolk, Virginia, that will ensure alliance maritime security
in the Atlantic. They also approved a joint force command to be based in Ulm,
Germany. These changes will grow the NATO command structure by more than 1,200
personnel, Stoltenberg said during a news conference.
‘These Headquarters Will be Essential’
“These headquarters will be essential for Alliance
reinforcements across the Atlantic and across Europe,” he said.
The defense ministers also approved a new NATO Readiness
Initiative, called the “Four Thirties” -- 30 battalions, 30 squadrons and 30
ships ready for deployment in 30 days.
“This is not about new forces, but about increasing the
readiness of the forces our nations already have,” the secretary general said.
“This shows our determination to instill a culture of readiness across the
alliance.”
The leaders addressed defense burden sharing, which is a
particular concern of President Donald J. Trump. “Allies are making real
progress on all aspects of burden sharing -- cash, capabilities and
contributions,” the secretary general said.
On the budget side, Stoltenberg announced there has been
four consecutive years of real increases in defense spending. “All allies have
stopped the cuts,” he said. “All allies are increasing defense spending.”
More NATO members are spending 2 percent of their nations’
gross domestic product on defense and the majority of allies now have plans to
do so by 2024, Stoltenberg said.
The European allies and Canada have increased spending by
3.8 percent this year. “This means that, since 2014, European allies and Canada
will have spent additionally $87 billion dollars on defense,” he said. “When it
comes to capabilities, allies have committed to investing 20 percent of their
defense spending on major equipment.”
Alliance nations have also increased contributions to NATO
missions and operations, the secretary general said.
“But of course, we still have more work to do,” Stoltenberg
said. “Burden sharing will be a key theme of our summit next month, and I
expect all allies to continue their efforts.”
The defense ministers also discussed cyber defense, he said.
Since 2016, allies have enhanced cyber capabilities and look to building a
cyber operations center as part of the new alliance command structure.
“Having agreed the principles last year, we have now agreed
to a framework for the integration of sovereign cyber effects into alliance
operations and missions,” Stoltenberg said. “This supports NATO’s overall
deterrence and defense because all crises today have a cyber dimension. And we
must be as effective in cyberspace as we are on land, at sea and in the air.”
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