|
Disarmament DocumentationBack to Disarmament Documentation NATO Defence Ministers' Meetings, June 12 - 13, 2003
I. Defence Planning Committee and the Nuclear Planning Group'Ministerial Meeting of the Defence Planning Committee and the Nuclear Planning Group held in Brussels on Thursday, 12 June 2003', NATO Press Release, (2003)64, June 12. ... 2. Effective military forces, able to deploy to wherever the Alliance decides, are essential to the Alliance's ability to achieve its wider security objectives as well as its core function of collective defence. Our forces must have the advanced capabilities necessary to conduct the full range of Alliance missions, including the ability to move quickly to a crisis area and sustain operations over time. Ensuring these capabilities is the central focus of NATO's collective defence planning process, and of the transformation of the Alliance, on which we exchanged views today. 3. We approved new Ministerial Guidance to provide a framework for NATO and nations' defence planning until 2010 and beyond. This guidance addresses the need to overcome the shortcomings identified in our review of national plans. We emphasised the need to pursue quality rather than quantity in adapting our force structures, and to focus resources on deployable forces and capabilities. We also emphasised the need to provide sufficient resources for these capabilities by aiming to increase defence spending in real terms and to spend available funds more effectively, bearing in mind that NATO's requirement for non-deployable forces is very limited. 4. We reviewed progress made in the development of the NATO Response Force. We approved the comprehensive concept for the Force and look forward to successful completion of the further work required. Establishment of this force will be a significant step in providing NATO with a capability for rapid action and a catalyst for the development of advanced capabilities. Because nations have only a single set of forces, work on the NATO Response Force should be mutually reinforcing with related work in the EU. 5. We have also agreed NATO's new streamlined command arrangements. They will provide robust capabilities to plan and execute operations, promote the further modernisation and interoperability of Alliance forces, and enhance the transatlantic link. There will be two commands at the strategic level, one to conduct all Alliance operations and one to guide and encourage the transformation of forces and other capabilities. The second, operational, level will consist of two standing Joint Force Commands that can provide one land-based Combined Joint Task Force (CJTF) headquarters, and a robust but more limited standing Joint Headquarters from which one sea-based CJTF headquarters capability can be drawn. At the third, component or tactical, level, a limited number of Joint Force Component Commands and Combined Air Operations Centres (some of them deployable) will provide service-specific expertise to the second level. These new command arrangements build on and take full account of the command capabilities within NATO's new Force Structure, within which all of the envisaged high readiness corps and maritime headquarters have now been certified as having reached full operational capability. In the new Alliance Command Transformation structure, there will, in addition, be a NATO Joint Warfare Centre, with a subordinate Joint Force Training Centre and a Joint Analysis and Lessons Learned Centre, and a number of nationally- or multi-nationally sponsored Centres of Excellence, which will provide opportunities to enhance training, improve interoperability, test and develop doctrines, and conduct experiments to assess new concepts. The streamlined structure will be more effective, and is expected to yield cost and manpower savings which can be channelled to addressing existing Alliance shortfalls. Achieving rapid implementation of the new command structure is essential to ensure continuity of the command arrangements and momentum in the transformation process. We therefore direct that the new structure be implemented as rapidly as possible, and request the NATO Military Authorities to report to us on progress made at our meeting in December. 6. In discharging our responsibilities for collective defence planning in the Alliance, we reviewed the force plans of Allies and of invited countries. 7. We noted with satisfaction that most Allies are continuing to restructure their forces to make them smaller, more flexible, more modern and more effective for the full range of Alliance missions. The implementation of current plans, including the commitments undertaken as part of the Prague Capabilities Commitment, will bring about important improvements. Shortfalls in a number of critical capability areas will nevertheless continue to exist, particularly in the number of fully deployable units and formations with the necessary support units able to operate where little or no host nation support exists. Further efforts are therefore needed to overcome these deficiencies, especially correcting the balance between combat and support units. 8. We applaud the steps taken so far by the invited nations to adapt their forces to participate in Alliance structures and look forward to welcoming these countries as members next year. We and our counterparts from these countries recognise, however, that much more remains to be done, including through recently-launched defence reviews, to re-orient force structures for the full range of Alliance missions. This will be a long-term process and will require sustained efforts. 9. At Prague, our Heads of State and Government noted the importance of transforming our military capabilities. Since the defence planning process will play a major role in this effort and remains the cornerstone of NATO's ability to provide for the defence and security of its members, we tasked the Defence Review Committee, taking account of the advice of NATO's Military Authorities, to review and further adapt where appropriate the process so that it is better able to assist the transformation of our military capabilities. It must be flexible, responsive and more focussed on capabilities for the full range of Alliance missions. It should take into account national planning cycles and also consider the evolving NATO-EU relationship. The Allied Command Transformation will play a major role in this review and the subsequent work to develop capabilities. We look forward to reviewing progress in this work at our meeting in December 2003 where we will, if necessary, issue additional guidance, and to receiving a final report, with recommendations, at our Spring meeting in 2004. 10. At this, our first meeting as Nuclear Planning Group after the Prague Summit, we reviewed the status of NATO's nuclear forces and addressed related issues and activities. We reaffirmed the principles underpinning NATO's nuclear forces as set out in the Alliance's Strategic Concept. We continue to place great value on the nuclear forces based in Europe and committed to NATO, which provide an essential political and military linkage between the European and the North American members of the Alliance. 11. We welcomed the recent entry into force of the May 2002 Moscow Treaty between the United States and Russia on Strategic Offensive Reductions. We agreed that this Treaty represents an important step in establishing more favourable conditions for actively promoting security and cooperation, and enhancing international stability. 12. The Alliance's goal to enhance global security will continue to be strengthened through our support for arms control and non-proliferation. In this regard, we expressed concern over violations of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty regime and, in particular, over recent pronouncements by the Democratic Peoples' Republic of Korea that it had withdrawn from the Treaty and that it was in possession of nuclear weapons. We strongly urged it to dismantle immediately any nuclear weapons programme in a verifiable, transparent and irreversible manner. We urge all nations to continue to work together to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons. We reaffirmed our determination to contribute to the implementation of the conclusions of the 2000 NPT Review Conference and welcomed the accession of Cuba and East Timor to the Treaty. 13. We welcome the invitation extended to Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia and look forward to meeting them in this forum as full Alliance members. We endorsed a time-phased programme to inform them about Alliance nuclear issues, designed specifically to prepare them to participate effectively in discussions of Alliance nuclear policy when they are members. Given their full support of NATO's Strategic Concept, including the essential role that nuclear forces play in the Alliance's strategy of preservation of peace and prevention of war or any kind of coercion, the new members will strengthen security for all in the Euro-Atlantic area. 14. We noted with satisfaction that, based on our guidance issued in June last year, NATO's dual-capable aircraft posture has been further adapted and readiness requirements for these aircraft have been further relaxed. We welcome the ongoing work of the High Level Group as it continues to discuss deterrence requirements in the new security environment and to provide advice to Ministers as appropriate. 15. We welcomed the agreement with the Russian Federation on a Work Plan for nuclear experts' consultations under the auspices of the NATO-Russia Council. We agree with the plan to focus in the near term on nuclear weapons safety and security, but we also expressed our strong view that the nuclear Confidence and Security Building Measures proposed by NATO in December 2000 should be addressed in these consultations. We look forward to the next practical steps to further implement this important Work Plan. II. Statement on CapabilitiesIssued at the Meeting of the North Atlantic Council in Defence Ministers Session held in Brussels, NATO Press Release, (2003) 066, June 12. 1. We are determined to strengthen our defence capabilities, as demanded by current and future threats and challenges to our security and to Euro-Atlantic stability. Our forces and defence structures must be flexible enough to respond quickly and effectively to these threats and challenges. The Prague Summit approved a blueprint for the transformation of NATO capabilities based on three pillars: the NATO Response Force, new command arrangements, and the Prague Capabilities Commitment. We took stock of progress since Prague and gave instructions for further work. 2. The NATO Response Force (NRF) is an essential element of our overall transformation. We approved the comprehensive concept for the NRF commissioned at Prague. It consists of a military concept and guidance for handling political-military issues, including the developing relationship between the NRF and the related work of the EU Headline Goal, which must be mutually reinforcing while respecting the autonomy of both organisations. The NRF will meet our requirement for a highly capable joint multinational force consisting of land, sea and air elements able to react in a very short time. Its roles could include deployment as a show of force and solidarity to deter aggression; as a stand-alone force for Article 5 or non-Article 5 operations; and as an initial entry force for a larger formation. The NRF will also be a catalyst for focussing and promoting improvements in the Alliance's overall military capabilities as nations prepare their contingents to meet the rigorous standards of participation to be developed. We confirmed that the force will have its Initial Operational Capability as soon as possible but not later than October 2004, and its Full Operational Capability not later than October 2006. We look forward to receiving the NATO Military Authorities' Implementation Plan and advice on the possibility of establishing some early capability before the end of this year. 3. The second pillar consists of new streamlined command arrangements for NATO. We therefore endorsed the final report of the Senior Officials Group setting out the details of a new NATO Command Structure. It will be leaner, more flexible, more efficient, and better able to conduct future military operations. At the strategic level, there will be only one command with operational responsibilities, and a new functional command, Allied Command Transformation, to take responsibility for promoting and overseeing the continuing transformation of Alliance forces and capabilities. Below the strategic level, the structure will be significantly streamlined, with a reduction in the number of headquarters. Achieving rapid implementation of the new structure is essential to assure continuity of command arrangements and the effective development and operation of the Alliance in the future. 4. The third pillar is the Prague Capabilities Commitment (PCC). We have reviewed the implementation of the PCC national commitments and the multinational initiatives in the light of the updated information provided by the Allies. There has been significant progress. We are encouraged by nations' efforts to incorporate their commitments into national plans and their willingness to provide necessary funding. We are also encouraged by progress in some of the important multinational projects agreed at Prague, notably the work on strategic sealift, strategic airlift and air-to-air refuelling, and welcome the signing of letters of intent for strategic sea-lift and air-lift, which took place today. But we are conscious too that much remains to be done. It is clear that additional energy and, in some cases, subject to affordability, resources will be necessary if we are to provide all the defence capabilities we need. More focus will also be needed on the possibilities of multinational role sharing and role specialisation. We emphasise the importance of those capabilities that can improve the effectiveness and interoperability of our forces. We will continue to give our close personal attention to the implementation of the PCC and direct the Council in Permanent Session to report to us on the status of both the national and multinational efforts at our next meeting. 5. We welcome the agreement reached with the European Union on ways to ensure coherent, transparent and mutually reinforcing development of the capability requirements common to the two organisations. One immediate result is the establishment of the NATO-EU Capability Group. We remain determined that our various efforts to improve capabilities, including through the PCC and the efforts of the European Union to enhance capabilities through the European Capabilities Action Plan, will be based on this agreement and on reciprocity, while respecting the autonomy of both organisations and in a spirit of openness. The Capability Group must play a central role in bringing this about. 6. Work on the five nuclear, biological and chemical weapons defence initiatives agreed at Prague has been very promising. Prototypes of a NATO Event Response Team and an Alliance Deployable NBC Laboratory are undergoing assessment during demanding field exercises. The other three initiatives - a NATO Biological and Chemical Defence Stockpile, a Disease Surveillance system, and a Centre of Excellence for NBC Weapons Defence - are well advanced. We welcomed the recent Council decision to task the NATO Military Authorities to develop a concept for a NATO multinational CBRN defence battalion capability and to pursue work on other NBC defence capabilities. We are confident that this decision, taken forward in a consistent and complementary way with other related capability improvements, will contribute to a further strengthening of our NBC response capabilities. 7. At the Prague Summit, the Heads of State and Government agreed to examine options for protecting Alliance territory, forces and population centres against the full range of missile threats in an effective and efficient way through an appropriate mix of political and defence efforts, along with deterrence; in particular they agreed to initiate a new NATO missile defence feasibility study. Excellent progress has been made, and we are confident that the new study will be under contract by October 2003. Our efforts in this regard will be consistent with the indivisibility of Allied security. We also welcome the completion of the feasibility studies for an Active Layered Theatre Ballistic Missile Defence. 8. NATO's military common funding should support the transformation of NATO as decided at the Summit of Prague. To that end, we have directed the Military Committee to lead a prioritisation of requirements in accordance with Alliance strategic objectives, and to report the results to Council. We have also invited the Council to oversee the Senior Resource Board review of the eligibility criteria for military common funding to ensure that processes are consistent with the needs of a transformed Alliance. We look forward to being informed about both initiatives at our next meeting in December. 9. NATO agencies have an important role in promoting interoperability and in helping to meet Allies' requirements in a number of fields, including the production and maintenance of equipment and logistics. A review of the agencies was one of the measures agreed at the Prague Summit to improve NATO's efficiency and effectiveness. We noted the interim report by the Deputy Secretary General. Work on this should continue, and the results should be reported to Ministers in December after consideration by the NAC. III. NATO Missile Defence Advances'New Missile Defence Feasibility Study Reaches Major Milestone', NATO Press Release, (2003) 069, June 12. NATO's new Missile Defence Feasibility Study (MDFS) has cleared a major funding hurdle and with this has achieved a key milestone in Alliance efforts to examine options for protecting Alliance territory, forces, and populations centres against the full range of missile threats. The Defence Ministers noted at their meeting on 12 June 2003 at NATO HQ the excellent progress and expressed their confidence that the new study will be under contract by October 2003 to coincide with their informal meeting in Colorado Springs, United States. Following approval by the North Atlantic Council on 10 June, common funding from NATO Security Investment Programme (NSIP) was authorised for contracting one MDFS. The Alliance's Consultation, Command and Control Agency (NC3A), Host Nation for this Study Project, will soon issue an Invitation For Bid (IFB) to the two transatlantic consortia already involved in the feasibility study in support of a future NATO Active Layered Theatre Ballistic Missile Defence (ALTBMD) capability. The two multinational consortia are led by Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) and the Lockheed Martin Corporation. Evaluation of the bids will take place in the timeframe August-September and the new study is planned to be under contract by October 2003, with an expected duration of 18 months. According to Assistant Secretary General for Defence Investment, Robert G. Bell, "This is truly an exciting time for missile defence at NATO: exciting for ALTBMD and exciting for full-spectrum Missile Defence. NATO managed to turn in a few months a demanding and challenging Programme of Work into an unprecedented success story". "Missile Defence", he said, "is without any doubt a major building block towards transformation of the Alliance to meet new security threats". The Missile Defence Feasibility Study will:
Source: NATO's website at http://www.nato.int. © 2003 The Acronym Institute. |