NATO Sets Sizes for Spearhead, Response Forces

By Jim Garamone

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Feb. 5, 2015 – The NATO Response Force’s new Spearhead Force will be a multinational, brigade-sized unit of around 5,000 troops, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in Brussels today.

Stoltenberg spoke at a news conference wrapping up a meeting of the alliance’s defense ministers at NATO headquarters in which Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel participated.

The force will help the alliance meet the threats in the east and south, the secretary general said.

A Highly Trained Land Force

The Spearhead Force will be a highly trained land force of around 5,000 troops. “These will be supported by air, sea and special forces,” Stoltenberg said. “The lead element of this land brigade will be ready to move within as little as 48 hours, with the rest moving within a week.”

Two brigades will back up the Spearhead Force as a rapid reinforcement capability in case of a major crisis, he noted. All told, the enhanced NATO Response Force will number up to about 30,000 troops.

France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom will be framework nations for the Spearhead Force. They will command in rotation in the coming years to ensure that the Spearhead Force can be sustained for the long term, the secretary general said.

“These countries will provide the main elements of the force, and help bring together other allies, so this will be truly a multinational force,” he added. “This is a strong signal of NATO solidarity, and it shows that European allies are fully playing their part, taking the lead in protecting Europe.”

Interim Spearhead Force

Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and others already have begun training and exercising an interim Spearhead Force, Stoltenberg said.

The defense ministers also decided to immediately establish six multinational command and control units in Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Romania, the secretary general told reporters. “If a crisis arises,” he added, “they will ensure that national and NATO forces from across the alliance are able to act as one from the start. They will make rapid deployment easier, support planning for collective defense, and help coordinate training and exercises.”

Stoltenberg stressed the importance of these units, noting that they will be the link between national defense and multinational NATO forces. “They will be key for connecting national forces with NATO reinforcements,” he added.

All NATO nations will contribute staff to these units, and they will be in the countries “on a persistent basis,” Stoltenberg said.

The secretary general also welcomed the work of Germany, Denmark and Poland to develop the Headquarters Multinational Corps Northeast in Szcecin, Poland.

“This will enhance our high readiness capability to command forces deployed to Poland and the Baltic states,” he said. “I also welcome Romania’s intention to make available a new deployable Multinational Division Headquarters for the southeast.”

Hagel Outlines U.S. Involvement

The United States is involved in the process, Hagel said earlier in the day, noting that, the U.S. Congress has approved the $1 billion that President Barack Obama requested for the European Reassurance Initiative, which he called a major contribution to NATO’s Readiness Action Plan.

“This initiative will enable us to continue providing a persistent presence of U.S. air, land and maritime forces along the alliance’s eastern flank as we also upgrade infrastructure and preposition equipment and supplies,” Hagel said. “We intend to contribute staff officers to each of NATO’s new command and control centers in Eastern Europe.”

These “defensive, proportionate” moves are in line with NATO’s international commitments, Stoltenberg said. “Our core responsibility is to keep our nations safe,” he added, “and this is exactly what we are doing.”

Face of Defense: Airman’s Music Provides Sense of Serenity

By Air Force Senior Airman Jake Eckhardt

375th Air Mobility Wing

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill., Feb. 5, 2015 – To the 436th Supply Chain Operations Squadron’s customers, Air Force Airman 1st Class Linh Phan seems like any other camouflage-clad airman. But it's what he does in his free time that sets him apart.

The limited space in Phan's dorm room is occupied by a bed, a desk, a cabinet -- and the airman’s piano and acoustic guitar.

"I love music," Phan said. "I remember singing as a kid. I would see people playing a guitar, and I would think how awesome that was."

Growing up, Phan recalled that his father would play guitar and his mother sang to instill in him a method of maintaining resilience and stability.

Phan said he began playing guitar in the eighth grade while living in Vietnam and he continued to fine-tune his craft throughout a move to Wisconsin in 2007 and enlistment into the Air Force.

Best Tool to Overcome Stress

"When I play, I don't think about anything else,” he said. “You just play it. It is the best tool to overcome stress."

Once he arrived here, Phan expanded his artistic reach by buying an electric piano, with lifetime lessons included in the package. He attends these lessons every Saturday for an hour.

"I like piano,” he said. “It's really sophisticated. I wanted to learn something new and the more I played, the more I realized that it's really relaxing."

Phan has taken the sense of serenity he's gained from his music and applied it to his professional life.

Positive Attitude

"Airman Phan is a very likeable person,” said Air Force Staff Sgt. Alexis Kennedy, Phan's supervisor. “He is kind, intelligent, and a team player. He always displays a positive attitude in the work center. He is an example for his peers and above. He has the whole-airman concept down.

"It's refreshing to see someone submerge themselves in a craft that is as expressive as music is,” Kennedy continued. “Music is all around us, and when you can create or play music for yourself, that's as relaxing as it can get. I'm happy to see Airman Phan use music as an outlet to regroup himself. Not only is it positive, but it's beautiful as well."

Phan said he believes everyone should learn how to play a musical instrument.

"Music is a world language,” he added. “You may not understand the lyrics, but you understand the music and the beat."

Hagel: NATO Must Continue to Change in Face of New Threats

By Jim Garamone

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Feb. 5, 2015 – The NATO alliance is transforming to address new threats, and it must continue to do so, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said in Brussels today.

Hagel is participating in his last defense ministerial meeting at NATO headquarters. The alliance is addressing the Russian threat in the east and the threat of terrorism on NATO’s southern flank as well as out-of-area threats, but it must continue its efforts to strengthen, he said.

Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea and its continued efforts to destabilize Ukraine have been met with resolve, the secretary said. NATO forces have confronted Russian military aircraft over the Baltic republics and Poland, he noted, and have conducted exercises in all countries of the east to demonstrate the resolve of collective security.

“We have established a new high-readiness task force that will be poised for deployment within days -- not just to its eastern frontier, but wherever it is needed,” Hagel said during a news conference at NATO headquarters.

Terror Threats

The alliance is facing threats from terrorist groups, especially from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. NATO is strengthening alliance member Turkey, and allies have been flying missions against ISIL in Iraq and Syria.

“Allies are on the front lines combating violent extremism -- extremism that has brought tragic violence to Paris and Ottawa,” Hagel said. “NATO allies and partners also make up the backbone of the coalition against ISIL. They have provided critical support for operations in North Africa, and NATO continues to help build peace and security in the Balkans.”

In Afghanistan, NATO has shifted from a combat role to a train-and-assist mission for Afghan security forces, the secretary said. “We transitioned security responsibility to a unity government emerging from the first peaceful, democratic transition in Afghan history,” he added. “Our coalition has trained more than 370,000 members of the Afghan national security forces, helping the Afghan economy to expand more than six-fold since the fall of the Taliban, helping create unprecedented opportunity -- and hope -- for the people of Afghanistan.”

It is a complicated security environment, and the alliance must face all these security challenges, Hagel said. “This means being prepared for the full spectrum of missions, and building NATO’s military capability and readiness, which has been the focus of our discussions today,” he said.

Past Transformations

The alliance has transformed in the past, and Hagel traced the evolution of NATO in his lifetime. Through the end of the Cold War, he said, NATO focused on the imperative of territorial defense and deterring Soviet aggression.

The fall of the Soviet Union and dissolution of the Warsaw Pact led to a second stage, he continued, with the alliance responding to conflict in the Balkans and conducting major out-of-area military operations in Afghanistan and Libya.

“Now, in its third phase, the alliance and its members must be prepared to address all of these challenges at once -- territorial defense and hybrid warfare on its eastern frontier, stability operations on its southern periphery, and out-of-area operations such as our training mission in Afghanistan and coalition counter-ISIL operations in Iraq,” he said.

Hagel said he is concerned with suggestions that NATO can handle only one threat, and that he is worried about a division between northern and southern allies. “This is a time for unity, shared purpose, and wise, long-term investments across the spectrum of military capability,” he said. “We must address all the challenges to this alliance, all together and all at once.”

Global Anchor

This will be tough, the secretary said, but it can be done. The alliance can “meet the challenges of the day and defend our deeply held and shared values,” he added.

NATO remains the only global anchor of collective security in the world today, Hagel said.

“It must continually adapt to the challenges of our time, and be strengthened with leadership, commitment and resources,” he said. “This is a legacy that all our nations must honor -- and uphold -- for many generations to come.”