By Nigel Chamberlain, NATO Watch
NATO's partnership with countries in the Asia-Pacific region was strengthened during the February Defence Ministerial in Brussels with the signing of an Individual Partnership and Cooperation Programme (IPCP) on 21 February by Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and Australian Defence Minister Stephen Smith.
The document has been published by the Australian Government, but not yet by NATO. NATOWatch asked NATO if they planned to publish the document and sought clarification for the statement that “it was the first of its kind [emphasis added] NATO signed with a partner nation, underlined the interest shared by NATO and Australia in forging a closer strategic partnership”. No response was forthcoming.
Formally referred to as ‘partners across the globe’ – but often simply as ‘global partners’ – NATO currently has agreements with Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan and Mongolia, as well as Australia. However, NATO has published the June 2012 IPCP with New Zealand and NATOWatch reviewed it at the time.
This new IPCP follows the Joint Political Declaration which was signed by the Secretary General and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard on 14 June 2012 in Canberra which:
Underlined the interest shared by NATO and Australia in forging a closer strategic partnership. Beyond cooperation on global challenges, the two sides also agreed to work closely on crisis and conflict management, post-conflict situations, reconstruction, and facilitating humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
It remains unclear how the IPCP signed in Brussels in February 2013 differs from “the existing Individual Partnership and Cooperation Programme (IPCP) NATO has with Australia” as stated in the June 2012 announcement.
Speaking at the NATO Chicago Summit in May 212, Prime Minister Gillard said:
Australia wants a long-term partnership with NATO. We share a common vision for global security and a common belief in the value of international cooperation to achieve security. Security threats are increasingly global and so it makes sense to have global partnerships as we look to combat those security threats.
As well as contributing to ISAF operations, Australian forces have participated in NATO’s Counter Piracy Task Force off the coast of Somalia, cooperated on counter-terrorism, research and technology, and non-proliferation initiatives. Australian defence personnel have also participated in NATO exercises.
Speaking at the National Press Club of Australia in Canberra the day before signing the Joint Political Declaration, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said a main reason for his visit was to convey NATO’s gratitude and thanks for Australia’s vital contribution to the ISAF mission. He added:
One promising area for greater cooperation between Australia and NATO is the development of military capabilities. We must also look to conduct more training, education, and exercises together. I see particular scope for closer cooperation between our Special Forces. And I am convinced that our cooperation should also encompass maritime security and cyber security.
Clifford A. Kiracofe, former senior professional staff member of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relation, asserts that the globalisation of NATO is integral to the Obama Administration's Asia-Pacific policy, and reflects continuity with several decades of US policy. He adds:
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen does not hesitate to preach the globalization of NATO. In his remarks to the recent annual Munich Security Conference, Rasmussen emphasized this process, and praised the work of former US secretary of state Madeleine Albright for assisting NATO globalization.
Kiracofe says that the Obama ‘pivot’ policy - now referred to as ‘rebalancing’- “aims to step up security cooperation with ‘democratic’ Asia-Pacific states”. While acknowledging some cooperation with China “an edgy tone appeared in Washington's more forward regional diplomacy, along with visibly stepped up regional military activities and deployments”.
Seemingly, NATO’s Individual Partnership and Cooperation Policy closely parallels the United States’ rebalanced security policy, but doesn’t sit too easily with NATO’s outdated mandate or with the realities of European reductions in military spending. However, it appears from the information available, that Australia is going to be playing an increasing role in NATO operations and both are integral to US foreign policy objectives in the Asia-Pacific region.
From his own pronouncements on the subject and by his personal closeness to the United States, one could conclude that Secretary General Rasmussen is in favour of a globalised NATO, but one might also conclude that not all European policy makers would naturally concur.
Further reading: See Anders Fogh Rasmussen’s speech ‘NATO - Managing Security in a Globalised World’ at the Catholic University of Lisbon, Portugal on 2 July 2010