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NATO’s Annual Report

US Marines wait for a fire mission during Exercise Dynamic Front 2019 at Adazi Training Grounds in Latvia. The exercise lets NATO Allies practice receiving and executing artillery fire missions in unison.

NATO turned 70 this year, and, after successfully preventing Soviet aggression and playing a key role in the eventual liberation of Eastern Europe, now faces renewed threats from Chinese and Russian aggression, as well as from terrorism. The New York Analysis of Policy and Government presents this summary of the Alliance’s latest annual report.

The Alliance is adapting and responding to the most complex and unpredictable security environment since the end of the Cold War – with a series of challenges and threats from state and non-state actors, including terrorist, cyber and hybrid attacks.

In the face of this new and challenging environment, all Allies have stepped up, further strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defence posture on land, at sea, in the air and in cyberspace.

Key to NATO’s deterrence and defence on land has been the deployment of forces in the eastern part of the Alliance, through NATO’s forward presence – along with a greater focus on the Alliance’s southern flank, and a stronger presence in the Black Sea region.

Allies have continued to reinforce the Alliance’s maritime posture and improve maritime situational awareness. A robust programme of military exercises is helping Allies to bolster their ability to fight at sea – including when it comes to anti-submarine warfare and the protection of sea lines of communications. NATO is also working to ensure its ability to reinforce Allied territory by sea, including from across the Atlantic Ocean.

Allies have agreed a new Joint Air Power Strategy, which supports NATO’s peacetime Air Policing and Ballistic Missile Defence missions. This will strengthen NATO’s Integrated Air and Missile Defence and improve Allies’ ability to operate together, faster and more effectively. Recognising that space is essential to deterrence and defence, in 2018, Allies also agreed to develop an overarching NATO Space Policy.

As NATO continues to adapt to evolving cyber threats, it needs to be able to operate as effectively in cyberspace as in the air, on land and at sea. In 2018, Allies agreed to continue investing in robust cyber defences, including by establishing a new Cyberspace Operations Centre in Mons, Belgium to coordinate NATO operations, planning and exercises.

In 2018, the Alliance further improved its responsiveness – both political and military. Particular efforts have been made to boost the readiness of Allied forces by ensuring troops and capabilities are appropriately trained, deployable and able to work closely together. An important tool for enhancing readiness has been more regular exercises, most notably the collective defence exercise Trident Juncture 18, NATO’s biggest exercise since the end of the Cold War.

At the Brussels Summit in July, Allied leaders took more than a hundred decisions to strengthen the Alliance. They welcomed the considerable progress made since 2014 to enhance the Alliance’s ability to respond to any threat, be it conventional or nonconventional. Allied leaders also recognised that a more uncertain security environment requires that all Allies continue to invest more in defence, develop the right military capabilities and make the necessary contributions to NATO’s military operations and missions.

A Stronger, Quicker Alliance

According to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, NATO is responsible for protecting and defending Allies’ territory and populations against armed attack. Credible deterrence and defence is essential to preventing conflict. NATO’s approach to deterrence and defence is based on a mix of nuclear, conventional and missile defence capabilities; it is defensive, proportionate and fully in compliance with international law.

NATO has a responsibility to respond to changes to the security environment. This is why, over the past years, the Alliance has continued to adapt its posture. Indeed, since 2014, NATO has undertaken the largest reinforcement of its collective defence in a generation, including by increasing its presence in the northeast and southeast of the Alliance.

NATO’s Forward Presence in the eastern part of the Alliance has four multinational, combatready battlegroups deployed in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. These four battlegroups are led by the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany and the United States, respectively. They comprise more than 4,500 troops from across the Alliance, and are able to operate alongside national home defence forces. The new Multinational Division North-East Headquarters in Elbląg, Poland is now fully operational, able to provide divisional-level command and control in case of a crisis.

NATO’s deployments in the Baltic countries and Poland are defensive and measured. They are a clear demonstration that the Alliance stands united in the face of any possible aggression. At the same time, NATO has also been developing a forward presence in the Black Sea region. A multinational framework brigade for training Allies’ land forces is in place in Romania; and new measures at sea and in the air have led to a substantial increase in NATO’s activities in the region. These have included increased presence of the NATO Standing Naval Forces in the Black Sea and additional cooperation on air training and air policing. The NATO Standing Naval Forces train and exercise in the Black Sea to build interoperability and warfighting skills, including with the navies of NATO’s Black Sea Allies – Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey – and partner countries. In 2018, NATO ships spent 120 days in the Black Sea, up from around 80 days in 2017. NATO’s forward presence is underpinned by a robust rapid-reinforcement strategy to ensure that, in a collective defence scenario, it would be backed by a 40,000-strong NATO Response Force, which includes the brigade-sized Very High Readiness Joint Task Force, led in 2018 by Italy. A combined Dutch, German and Norwegian-led Very High Readiness Joint Task Force was certified in 2018 – and will be on standby for deployment, if needed, throughout 2019. In 2018, Allies took further decisions to strengthen the Alliance’s ability to have forces ready and available in potential collective defence scenarios. A key step in this direction was the launch, at the Brussels Summit, of the new NATO Readiness Initiative, also known as the ‘Four Thirties’

 This initiative will ensure that more high-quality, combat-capable, high-readiness national forces can be made available to NATO, if needed. Allies will together provide an additional 30 combat naval vessels, 30 heavy or medium battalions and 30 air squadrons, as well as the necessary logistical support, at 30 days’ readiness or less. This is not about new forces, but about increasing the readiness of existing national forces. These forces will be organised and trained as elements of larger combat formations in support of NATO’s overall deterrence and defence posture. They will contribute to the Alliance’s ability to reinforce any Ally. The NATO Readiness Initiative will significantly improve the Alliance’s ability to respond rapidly, be it for crisis intervention or highintensity warfighting.

NATO’s efforts have also focused on responding to security challenges along its southern borders, including instability and ongoing crises in the Middle East and North Africa region. NATO maintains a range of assurance measures in place across the Alliance. These exist to deter any potential adversary, and therefore to reassure Allies. The Alliance continues to implement a series of tailored assurance measures for Turkey, including strengthening Turkish air defence with the deployment of missile batteries and air policing. In 2018, the Alliance continued to contribute to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, to support its partners’ counter-terrorism efforts through training and capacity-building, and to be present in the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas to contribute to countering terrorism and illegal trafficking. Experience has shown that building local capacity is one of the best tools in the fight against terrorism. For that reason, the Alliance This allows wholesale tadalafil the penis to become erect, and the erection ends. It also includes the combined efforts of the doctor, buying tadalafil online physical therapist, psychologist, and special education teachers. You can use the drug to treat your impotency you should inform your doctor if you suffer from the following conditionsHeart diseaseHeart rhythm problemsCoronary artery diseaseHigh/low blood pressureHigh/low cholesterolBlood cell disorderBleeding disorderStomach ulcerPenile deformity What to avoid while taking viagra pills price medications?As with all medications, avoid consumption of alcohol with levitra medications as it can chances of patients suffering from side effects Grapefruit has been known. The first thing you should do when symptoms of poor blood circulation are irregular heartbeats, lack of stamina and energy, Shilajit is an herb that can help cialis no prescription Continue relieve cancer symptoms. provides advice and support to partners such as Jordan and Tunisia. Allies have also agreed to launch a new training mission in Iraq, designed to help further professionalise the Iraqi armed forces. At the Brussels Summit, Allied leaders declared the new Hub for the South at Joint Force Command Naples fully operational. The ‘Hub’ is currently staffed by around 70 military and civilian personnel from more than 20 Allied countries. It is tasked with improving the Alliance’s awareness and understanding of challenges from its southern neighbourhood, and boosting cooperation with partners in the region.

A More Resilient NATO Resilience is the ability to resist and recover from a major shock – whether a natural disaster or an armed attack; conventional or hybrid. Resilience and civil preparedness in Allied nations are essential to NATO’s collective security and defence. Resilience represents a first line of defence. Today’s armed forces rely heavily on civilian infrastructure and capabilities, including for the supply of food and water, communications and transport. That means that the resilience of a country’s civilian infrastructure is just as important as that of its military infrastructure. Around 90% of military transport for large operations relies on civilian railways and aircraft. Three-quarters of host-nation support for NATO operations is provided by commercial infrastructure and services – including essentials such as food, water and fuel. At the same time, cyber attacks can paralyse civilian infrastructure and seriously impede NATO forces. For these reasons, civil preparedness is essential to NATO’s deterrence and defence. NATO Allies are committed to achieving a series of Baseline Requirements for National Resilience. These focus on ensuring continuity of government and essential services to the public, guaranteeing protection of critical infrastructure and supporting military operations with civilian means

In 2018, Allies made significant progress in implementing this commitment. In February, NATO completed an Alliance-wide assessment of national resilience, helping to generate an overview of the state of civil preparedness. The 2018 Report on the State of Civil Preparedness, endorsed by NATO’s Defence Ministers, has helped to raise awareness of the importance of building resilience. The Report identified areas where further effort is required to enhance resilience and ensure the ability to deal with threats such as terrorism and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents. In 2018, NATO also developed planning guidance to help national authorities to deal with large population movements and mass-casualties events; improve resilience in national and cross-border energy networks and transport infrastructure; develop priority access arrangements for civil telecommunications; and mitigate identified risks and vulnerabilities in the food and water sectors. Civil preparedness elements were also included in a number of NATO military exercises, including Trident Juncture 18. NATO continues to support its partners’ efforts to enhance their own resilience and civil preparedness. Initiatives include a three-year joint project with the United Nations to enhance chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear civil preparedness in Jordan. In 2018, the Alliance also provided related support and advice to Georgia and the Republic of Moldova.

Taking Stock of 2018

2018 was a year of far-reaching reforms for NATO.

First, Allies took important decisions to adapt and strengthen the NATO Command Structure, the military backbone of the Alliance. The new Command Structure will help the Alliance’s Strategic Commanders to prepare for any threat to the Alliance. At the Summit in July, NATO leaders agreed to a major update of the Command Structure, with more than 1,200 additional personnel and two new Joint Force Commands: one in Norfolk, the United States, to focus on protecting transatlantic sea lines of communication; and one in Ulm, Germany, to support the rapid movement of troops and equipment into, across and out of Europe. The two new Commands will become operational in 2019.

 In August, a Cyberspace Operations Centre was also established at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Belgium. The new Centre will coordinate NATO operations in cyberspace, provide cyberspace situational awareness, assess risks, and support decisionmaking, planning and exercises. In 2018, Allies also endorsed a series of measures to modernise NATO Headquarters in Brussels. The reforms, agreed in 2018 at the end of an internal functional review process, place speed, innovation and resilience at the centre of the way NATO works, and will ensure the Headquarters continues to adapt to meet the challenges of the current security environment.

In addition, at the Brussels Summit, Allied leaders agreed wide-ranging improvements to the way military capabilities are delivered through NATO common funding. The changes – which have been designed to reflect international best practice – will reduce unnecessary bureaucracy and complexity, and better align the work done by Allies, NATO Agencies and NATO’s Strategic Commands. Effective implementation of the changes will improve the Alliance’s agility and responsiveness by delivering required capabilities within expected timelines and agreed cost. This will help to sustain NATO common funding, a pillar of Alliance solidarity, for years to come.

Developing the Capabilities the Alliance Needs

The 2014 Defence Investment Pledge reversed the trend of shrinking national defence budgets. This has, in turn, strengthened Allies’ ability to develop and acquire the capabilities they need. Part of NATO’s job is helping Allies make informed investment decisions on military capabilities. One way it does this is by supporting joint multinational efforts to develop new capabilities – in other words, helping Allies to work together to design, manufacture and acquire the high-end equipment their militaries need. In 2018, there were significant developments on seven different multinational projects.

Two new projects were launched: the Maritime Battle Decisive Munitions project and the Maritime Unmanned Systems project. The former will help participants to procure and manage stockpiles of key maritime munitions more cheaply and flexibly. The latter will create a framework for the introduction of unmanned capabilities that contributes to a wide range of naval missions from logistics, to peacekeeping, to full-scale naval warfare. Two existing multinational projects attracted the involvement of additional Allies. The Maritime Multi Mission Aircraft project – which was joined by Canada and Poland3 – will replace aging Maritime Patrol Aircraft fleets. The project to develop a multinational fleet of air refuelling tankers – the socalled Multi-Role Tanker Transport Capability – was joined by Belgium4 . Cooperation on three additional projects was formalised through memoranda of understanding. The results will be a joint training centre for air crews conducting insertion and extraction of Special Operations Forces; a multinational command for Special Operations Forces; and a framework for managing the acquisition and storage of land munitions. In August, participants in the Air-toGround Precision Guided Munitions framework received the first batch of new munitions.

Funding

[C]ollective security does not come for free, and Allies have stepped up with four consecutive years of rising defence investment. At the Brussels Summit, we acknowledged the urgency to spend more and better on defence, and to achieve fairer burden-sharing. Rising national defence spending figures show we are moving in the right direction.

European Allies and Canada have spent an extra USD 41 billion more on defence since 2016. Based on national plans submitted by Allies, this figure will rise to an estimated USD 100 billion by the end of 2020.

Photo: U.S. Marines at Exercise Dynamic Front in Latvia earlier this year.

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NATO Expands Defense Spending, Criticizes Russia, Part 2

This month, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg presented the NATOs Annual Report. We continue our review by presenting excerpts presenting the Alliance’s views on Russia, and nuclear deterrence.

Russia

Relations with Russia NATO’s policy towards Russia remains consistent: defence and dialogue.

After the Cold War, NATO and Russia were striving towards a strategic partnership. However, after Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, all practical cooperation was suspended.

At the same time, however, NATO maintains political dialogue and military-to-military lines of communications with Russia. Efforts to reduce risk and increase transparency are also ongoing. At the Warsaw Summit, NATO leaders reaffirmed that the nature of the Alliance’s relations with Russia will be contingent on a clear, constructive change in Russia’s actions – one that demonstrates compliance with international law and its international obligations and responsibilities.

The Alliance maintains a firm position, based on a dual-track approach of strong deterrence and defence complemented by a periodic, focused and meaningful dialogue. That dialogue is carried out on the basis of reciprocity in the NATO-Russia Council. This is important to avoid misunderstanding, miscalculation and unintended escalation, as well as to increase transparency and predictability.

In 2017, the NATO-Russia Council met three times – in March, July and October. At each meeting, the Council discussed the conflict in and around Ukraine, including the need for the full implementation of the Minsk Agreements, issues relating to military activities, transparency and risk reduction, as well as the security situation in Afghanistan and the regional terrorist threat.

NATO continued to maintain a dialogue with Russia on air safety in the Baltic Sea region. In light of the increased air activity in the Baltic Sea region in recent years, it has become increasingly important to boost predictability and transparency in order to prevent incidents and accidents, and avoid unintended escalation. In 2016, the International Civil Aviation Organization’s Baltic Sea Project Team briefed the NATO-Russia Council on this important topic. Subsequently, a Finnish-led Expert Group on Baltic Sea Air Safety was established to build on the work of the Baltic Sea Project Team. The group – with the participation of Allied and partner countries from the region, Russia and NATO, inter alia – developed recommendations and guidance on the handling and resolution of air encounters between all aircraft, both civilian and military, in peacetime. Supported by the Allies, these recommendations were published by the International Civil Aviation Organization in December 2017.

In 2017, the NATO-Russia Council began to exchange advanced reciprocal briefings on upcoming exercises. This mutual exchange has the potential to contribute towards greater predictability and risk reduction in the Euro-Atlantic area. However, these voluntary briefings cannot replace mandatory transparency under the Vienna Document.

The Secretary General met with the Russian Foreign Minister in February, May and September. The Deputy Secretary General maintained regular contact with the Russian Ambassador to NATO throughout the year, as well as with other Russian officials. NATO’s military leaders have also continued to communicate directly with their Russian counterparts.
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Nuclear Deterence

Nuclear deterrence has made a major contribution to peace and stability in Europe and beyond for more than 70 years, and has been at the heart of NATO’s posture. At the Warsaw Summit in 2016, Allies recognised the importance of nuclear deterrence as a key element of the Allied deterrence posture, for the specific purpose of preserving peace, preventing coercion, and deterring aggression. As long as nuclear weapons exist, NATO will remain a nuclear alliance.

At the same time, the Alliance is committed to seeking the conditions necessary for a world without nuclear weapons, in accordance with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and in a step-by-step and verifiable manner.

NATO is also concerned about the threat of nuclear proliferation and it has taken a firm stand in condemning the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea for carrying out nuclear and missile tests. North Korea’s destabilising behaviour poses a threat to international peace and security and the Alliance has called on North Korea to abandon nuclear weapons and nuclear and ballistic missile programmes in a complete, verifiable, and irreversible manner. NATO also urges the country to comply with its international obligations and recommit to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Allied commitment to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty remains unwavering. The Treaty is the cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation and safeguards regime and the basis for global disarmament efforts.

The Alliance also recognises the importance of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty to EuroAtlantic security. The Treaty has contributed to strategic stability and reduced the risk of miscalculation leading to conflict. The Alliance is committed to the preservation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and strongly believes full compliance with this landmark arms control treaty is needed. In December 2017, NATO recognised the United States’ compliance with its obligations under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and its commitment to implementing the Treaty. The Alliance also welcomed the continued efforts by the United States to engage Russia to resolve concerns about Russia’s compliance with the Treaty.

NATO photo

 

 

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NATO Expands Defense Spending, Criticizes Russia

This month, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg presented the Alliance’s Annual Report.

In 2017, European Allies and Canada increased spending on defense by almost 5%.  There have now been three consecutive years of growth since 2014. In 2017, twenty-six Allies spent more in real terms on major equipment than the year before.

“All NATO members have pledged to continue to increase defence spending in real terms. The majority have already put in place plans on how to meet the 2% guideline by 2024. And we expect others to follow”, according to Stoltenberg.

At the end of 2017, there were over 23,000 troops serving in NATO deployments, up from just under 18,000 in 2014, before Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea and the rise of ISIS, an increase of 30%.

The Secretary General also addressed the recent use of a nerve agent in the United Kingdom, noting that this was “the first offensive use of a nerve agent on Alliance territory since NATO’s foundation”. “All Allies agree that the attack was a clear breach of international norms and agreements,” and they have “called on Russia to address the UK’s questions”, he noted.

Stoltenberg stated that the backdrop to the attack was “a reckless pattern of Russian behaviour over many years…the illegal annexation of Crimea and military support to separatists in Eastern Ukraine. The military presence in Moldova and Georgia against these countries’ will. Meddling in Montenegro and elsewhere in the Western Balkans. Attempts to subvert democratic elections and institutions. And the military build-up from the North of Europe to the Middle East.” He also warned that the “blurring of the line” between nuclear and conventional warfare “lowers the threshold for Russia’s use of nuclear weapons.”

Key Excepts from NATO’s Annual Report

NATO is adapting. Part of being a truly 21st century Alliance is about speed: speed of awareness, speed of decisionmaking, speed of action, speed of reinforcement and speed of adaptation – what is sometimes called the ‘speed of relevance’. And a more agile, more responsive, more innovative NATO is a stronger and more effective NATO.

2017 was a defining year in that continuing evolution. At our meeting of NATO leaders in Brussels in May, we took important decisions on how to implement fairer burden-sharing and stepping up the fight against terrorism – decisions which are making the Alliance stronger.

Last year, we also deployed four multinational battlegroups to the east of the Alliance and strengthened our Forward Presence in the Black Sea region. We welcomed Montenegro as the 29th member of the Alliance. We joined the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, with our AWACS planes, and training of Iraqi forces. We increased our support to Jordan and Tunisia. And we worked hand-in-hand with the European Union to keep our seas safe, fight terrorism, and defend against cyber attacks.

A more uncertain security environment requires that we invest more in defence, develop the right military capabilities, and make the necessary contributions to our military operations and missions. In 2014, Allies pledged to stop cuts to their defence budgets, increase defence spending, and move towards investing at least 2% of their GDP in defence within a decade.

Since then we have seen three consecutive years of growth in defence expenditure across Europe and Canada, adding a total of 46 billion dollars to defence. All Allies have pledged to continue to increase defence spending in real terms. In 2017 alone, European Allies and Canada increased their defence expenditure by almost 5%. This year, we expect eight allies to meet the 2% guideline. And the majority of Allies already have plans on how to meet the 2% guideline by 2024.

So the picture is clear: the Alliance is doing more to respond and adapt to an uncertain security environment. All Allies are stepping up: doing more, in more places, in more ways, to strengthen our shared security.

The Alliance remained committed to strengthening its deterrence and defence. In 2017, NATO bolstered its defensive presence in the eastern part of the Alliance. In just a year, the Alliance implemented the Warsaw Summit decision to establish a rotational Forward Presence – deploying four multinational battlegroups to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, and strengthening its presence in the Black Sea region.
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NATO maintained an all-round approach to collective defence, including by deepening its focus on threats from the Alliance’s southern flank. For example, NATO established a Regional Hub for the South in September 2017. The Hub aims to improve situational awareness and to enhance engagement with partners.

The Alliance continues to ensure it can perform its three core tasks: collective defence, crisis management, and cooperative security. In recent years, this has required NATO to recalibrate its missions, operations and activities to better meet changing security needs. NATO has wound down some activities, such as its counter-piracy mission off the Horn of Africa, and transformed others, including by transitioning from a combat to a training mission in Afghanistan. At the same time, to keep its nations safe in the face of new security challenges, the Alliance has invested in reinforcing and developing a number of activities, including on Allied territory.

As part of this adaptation process, NATO has strengthened its collective defence, tripling the size of the NATO Response Force from roughly 13,000 to 40,000 troops and establishing a 5,000-strong Very High Readiness Joint Task Force. The Alliance has boosted its Forward Presence in the northeast and southeast of the Alliance and strengthened assurance and support measures inside Alliance territory, including by enhancing air policing. NATO has also adapted its maritime security posture in the Mediterranean and invested in supporting the security and stability of partners by training local institutions and forces to fight terrorism.

Following the 2016 Warsaw Summit decision to make cyberspace an operational domain, the Alliance continued to strengthen its cyber defences and to fully integrate cyber defence into operational planning. At the same time, NATO is undertaking the largest modernisation of its information technology and networks in decades.

NATO also established a new intelligence division at its Headquarters in Brussels, improving Allies’ ability to obtain and share information on potential security threats.

Since the Wales Summit in 2014, NATO has implemented the largest reinforcement of its collective defence in a generation. As part of this extensive effort, NATO has increased its presence in the northeast and southeast of the Alliance. In 2017, NATO deployed four multinational battlegroups in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. Led by the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany and the United States respectively, this Forward Presence became fully operational in the summer. Around 4,500 troops are deployed and embedded in the home defence forces of the host nations, training and exercising with those forces on a daily basis. Over the past year, more than 20 Allies contributed forces and capabilities to this initiative, a clear demonstration of Allied solidarity and commitment. The battlegroups represent a proportionate and defensive force, in line with NATO’s determination to provide effective deterrence and to ensure collective defence. They send a message that an attack against any Ally would be an attack against the whole Alliance, and met with a collective response.

In the face of evolving security challenges in the Black Sea region, NATO also took steps to strengthen its presence in the southeast of the Alliance. This element of NATO’s Forward Presence comprises the deployment of a multinational brigade for training, and an expanded air and maritime presence in the Black Sea region. Together, these are distinct and important contributions to the Alliance’s strengthened deterrence and defence posture, and to its situational awareness.

The multinational framework brigade, led by Romania, was established in April 2017 and is expected to become fully operational by the end of 2018. The brigade is being developed with affiliated forces from Bulgaria, Italy, Poland, Portugal and the United States, with contributions from Canada, Germany, Hungary, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Slovakia and Spain.

NATO’s strengthened Forward Presence does not exist in isolation. The Alliance’s rapid-reinforcement strategy ensures that in a collective defence scenario the multinational battlegroups – alongside national home defence forces – would be reinforced by the brigade-sized Very High Readiness Joint Task Force, ready to be deployed in days, followed by the remainder of the approximately 40,000 troops of the enhanced NATO Response Force.

NATO has also invested in reinforcing its ability to understand and respond to security challenges along its southern borders. The Alliance continues to provide support to Turkey, including by augmenting Turkish air defence capabilities through the deployment of missile batteries, air policing and port visits. NATO actively contributes to security in its southern neighbourhood by being an active member of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS and by supporting its partners’ efforts to fight terrorism. NATO continues to be present in the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas, working to support maritime situational awareness, counter terrorism, combat illegal trafficking and enhance capacity-building.

In 2017, NATO boosted its awareness of the threats and challenges from the south, including by establishing a Regional Hub at the Allied Joint Force Command Naples. The Alliance has also committed to improving its ability to conduct expeditionary operations, for example by carrying out more high level exercises that reflect challenges emanating from its southern neighbourhood.

NATO photo

The Report Concludes Tomorrow.

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NATO Reports Increased Threats

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, NATO rightfully received significant credit for staring down what had been one of history’s most formidable military powers.

Moscow has once again become a major armed threat.  Indeed, it is now in a stronger position than it was during the first Cold War, thanks in equal measure to the bellicosity of Vladimir Putin and the pacifism of Barack Obama.

For far too long, the defense budgets of the United States and to an even greater extent those of our NATO allies have been underfunded. In recognition of the Kremlin’s growing danger, attention is starting to be paid by the western alliance to its diminished strength.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has released his annual report on the challenges facing the alliance.

He notes that “The security environment in 2015 was one of complex challenges and unpredictable threats to the safety of citizens in the Euro-Atlantic area and around the world. Violent extremism and instability in the Middle East and North Africa persisted, worsening the humanitarian crises in Syria and Iraq, and fuelling the largest flow of refugees in decades. Terrorists attacked in Ankara and Paris, Beirut and San Bernardino. They killed indiscriminately, bombing a plane of Russians on holiday in Egypt, shooting tourists in Tunisia and gunning down concert-goers and others out for an evening in France. Through these acts, terrorists attempted to disrupt people’s everyday lives and fragment the rules-based societies and systems that are the foundation of stability and prosperity.

“Russia continued to pursue a more assertive and unpredictable military posture in 2015. While persisting in illegally occupying parts of Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, and continuing to support separatists fighting in eastern Ukraine, Russia also began a military operation in Syria, not as part of the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL but in support of the Assad regime. The serious risks associated with ignoring or skirting agreed international rules and procedures were brought to light in 2015, when violations of Turkish airspace led to the downing of a Russian jet…

“NATO is fully committed to the collective defence of all Allies and continues to bolster the readiness and responsiveness of its forces. Throughout 2015, NATO continued to implement the Readiness Action Plan…providing assurance for Allies in the eastern part of the Alliance, supporting Turkey as it is faced with instability in the South, and adapting so that NATO is prepared for the challenges of today and tomorrow. These actions have contributed to the most significant reinforcement of NATO’s collective defence in decades.
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“NATO agreed a hybrid strategy to cope with the fast-moving challenges posed through a range of military and non-military means. The Alliance exercised its forces in a variety of scenarios throughout the year, including in its largest exercise in over a decade which brought together more than 36,000 troops from over 30 countries…

“In 2015, Allies invested in defence and security, developing and improving their capabilities, including ballistic missile defence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and cyber defence. Allies worked together and with partners on the operations and missions in which NATO is engaged, from training and advising in Afghanistan to maritime monitoring in the Mediterranean.

“NATO deepened its cooperation with partners across a range of areas to build capacity, enhance interoperability and to generate a better understanding of and approach to a variety of shared challenges to security…

“The Alliance continued to stand by Ukraine in 2015, enhancing its support to Ukraine as it works to improve its governance and security structures, despite the ongoing conflict in the eastern part of the country…NATO continued to adapt as an institution in 2015, implementing reforms to its civilian and military structures to ensure a modern, efficient, effective and accountable institution.”

One challenge that the Secretary General cannot diplomatically address in public is the continued underfunding of western military forces.  Even before the disinvestment in U.S. defense under the Obama Administration, European nations had significantly failed to provide remotely adequate financial support.

In the United Kingdom, as noted by the Guardian, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has advocated British nuclear disarmament, despite Russia’s atomic weapons buildup under President Putin.