Brussels 18-19 April 2012
“Paving the Way for the Chicago Summit”
by Nigel Chamberlain, NATO Watch
As NATO Spokesperson, Oana Lungescu, said at the pre-‘Jumbo Meeting’ press briefing on 16 April, “Obviously, the ministerial meetings this week are paving the way for the Chicago Summit.”
Key working sessions were flagged as ‘NATO Capabilities’ to ensure that “NATO is fit for the future- not just for 2012, but for 2020 and beyond”, Afghanistan moving towards and after the 2014 troop withdrawal and NATO-Russia relations, with Foreign Minister Lavrov in attendance.
DAY 1 (April 18th)
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said at the start of the series of ministerial meetings that:
Defence ministers will discuss today the best way to ensure the Alliance can acquire and maintain the capabilities it needs, even in times of financial austerity. The Chicago Summit is expected to approve a package of measures based on the concept of Smart Defence, by which nations focus on greater prioritisation, specialisation and multinational cooperation in their acquisition of modern equipment. The summit is also expected to move forward with the Connected Forces Initiative, which are a set of policies to make sure that Alliance forces are able to operate together through a renewed emphasis on training, exercises and compatible equipment. We will ensure that our Alliance has the modern, deployable and connected forces that we need for the next decade and beyond.
In his opening statement to the Defence Ministers Meeting, the Secretary General indicated that there would be discussions on national contributions to an integrated NATO missile defence system and renewing a culture of cooperation via Smart Defence initiatives. He then asked the media to leave the room, “so that we can start our work”.
Reuters reported that US Secretary for Defense Leon Panetta had said before leaving for Brussels, “We’re at a pivotal point for the alliance. We’ll also be working to ensure that NATO itself has the right military capabilities that will be needed for the future.” This reflected President Obama’s announcement in January that the United States would concentrate more effort in the Pacific region and US officials’ criticisms of defence under-funding in Europe.
In his lunch time press conference, the Secretary General said:
We have just had a substantial discussion on how to ensure NATO has the right defence capabilities. Despite the financial challenges we face, we must remain strong enough to deal with future security challenges……….. In Chicago, we will take the next steps, by approving a specific set of commitments and measures, and embracing the new approach we call Smart Defence………….Today, we also agreed that, in Chicago, we will adopt a series of measures in the fields of education and training, exercises and technology, to make sure that our forces maintain the strong connections they have developed during our operations. We call it the Connected Forces Initiative….Key to our future capabilities is missile defence. Only 16 months have passed since we took the historic decision at the Lisbon Summit to develop a capability to protect NATO populations, territory and forces against missile attacks. At Chicago, our ambition is to declare an interim missile defence capability. And today we made clear that we are all determined to make that happen.
There seems to have been very little reporting of what might have been discussed behind the closed doors of the morning session. The Secretary General, in explaining missile defence would not be targeted at any specific country, did say (in response to a question about India testing a long-range nuclear capable missile) that,” we do not consider India a threat to NATO Allies or NATO territory”.
In his evening press conference, the Secretary General said:
I see emerging agreement for NATO to take on a new mission in Afghanistan after transition to full Afghan security responsibility is complete…..And I am very pleased that a number of allies today announced concrete financial contributions to the Afghan security forces in the future and other allies announced that they will be able to announce concrete contributions at a later stage. And I see that as a clear commitment to sustaining the Afghan security forces in the future.
There had clearly been much discussion about NATO’s Strategic Plan for Afghanistan behind the closed doors of the afternoon session which journalists were keen to pick up on. The Independent claimed that military commanders and diplomats have been arguing against an early cut of almost 40% in the Afghan forces current support of $6 billion when they are supposed to be taking more responsibility for security, primarily to make a significant budget cut. The Secretary General indicated that any decision would depend on the security situation in the country.
There are on-going discussions about how the projected budget of over $4 billion will be met. Apparently, the US will be calling on European and other ISAF countries to pick up over $1 billion. Japan and the Gulf States are also likely to be approached to contribute. The key, as yet unresolved question but which must be addressed in Chicago, appears to be what role NATO will play after 2014. UK Defence Secretary Philip Hammond immediately committed Britain to £70 million per annum to the Afghan National Security Force after 2014 and encouraged other countries to follow suit – apparently nobody has, thus far.
In a news conference after the first day’s meetings, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton said. “The transition is on track, the Afghans are increasingly standing up for their own security and future, and NATO remains united in our support.”
Coverage of Day 2 follows tomorrow