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NATO Defence Ministers' Meeting, December 1-2,
2003
'Ministerial Meeting of the Defence Planning
Committee and the Nuclear Planning Group', Brussels, December 1,
2003, excerpts.
- At our Nuclear Planning Group meeting, we reviewed the status
of NATO's nuclear forces and the work of the High Level Group. It
is a long-standing goal of the Alliance to enhance security and
stability at the lowest possible level of forces consistent with
its requirements for collective defence and the full range of its
missions. In keeping with this goal, we continue to consider
deterrence requirements for the 21 st century. We reaffirmed the
principles underpinning NATO's security objectives as set out in
the Alliance's Strategic Concept.
- The nuclear forces based in Europe and committed to NATO
continue to provide an essential political and military link
between the European and North American members of the Alliance.
They are maintained at readiness levels consistent with the
prevailing security environment. We noted with appreciation the
continuing contribution made by the United Kingdom's independent
nuclear forces to deterrence and the overall security of the
Allies, and reaffirmed the value of this capability.
- We discussed the growing danger of the proliferation of nuclear
weapons and expressed our serious concern over recent acts of
non-compliance with obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty (NPT), which may have negative consequences for regional
stability and security. We reaffirmed our full commitment to the
NPT and to the goal of universal adherence to it. We recognized the
NPT as the cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation
regime and reiterated our continuing commitment to all our
obligations under this Treaty. We urge all nations to work together
to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons.
- We reaffirmed the importance of substantial and productive
exchanges by nuclear experts under the auspices of the NATO-Russia
Council with a view to gaining better mutual understanding, more
confidence and thereby increased security. We are encouraged by the
progress achieved in these consultations, in particular the
prospect of a series of field demonstrations on nuclear weapon
safety and security issues.
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'Meeting of the North Atlantic Council in
Defence Ministers Session', Brussels, December 1, 2003.
- The North Atlantic Council met in Defence Ministers session on
1 December 2003. Defence Ministers and Representatives of the
Allies were joined by their colleagues from the countries invited
to join the Alliance.
- We are at an important juncture in the evolution of the
Alliance. We are embarked on new operations, are developing greater
capabilities and are preparing to admit seven new members. Against
this background of continuing transformation, we discussed a wide
range of matters of common interest, and concentrated on ongoing
Alliance operations and crisis management issues, and progress in
transforming NATO's military capabilities. We also discussed what
must be accomplished in the defence field before the Istanbul
Summit and gave direction for the necessary work.
- Our military capabilities must be able to respond rapidly and
effectively, wherever the Alliance decides, to the challenges to
our security, from wherever they may come, including the dangers
posed by terrorism. We reviewed the valuable work that has been
accomplished since the Prague Summit to this end, in particular
progress in establishing the NATO Response Force, implementing the
new command structure, and meeting the Prague Capabilities
Commitment. The Alliance took special note of the establishment
today of the NATO multinational Chemical, Biological, Radiological,
and Nuclear Defence Battalion. Increasing the deployability and
usability of our forces is essential if we are to continue to
fulfil our operational commitments. We have issued a separate
statement regarding our discussions of these and other aspects of
the ongoing transformation of our military capabilities.
- We are deeply grateful to all those who have taken part in
NATO-led operations and offer our sincere condolences to the
families and loved ones of those who have died in the line of duty.
We also express our sympathy to all the victims of terrorism and
resolutely condemn it in all its forms and wherever it occurs.
- In Afghanistan, the Alliance now leads the International
Security Assistance Force (ISAF) under its UN mandate. This
operation demonstrates our readiness to deploy forces wherever the
Alliance decides, to ensure our common security. Our aim is to
assist in the emergence of a united, sovereign country, integrated
into the international community, including by assisting the Afghan
Transitional Authority in the maintenance of security and stability
and in the electoral process according to the Bonn Process. We
decided on the progressive expansion of ISAF beyond Kabul in
accordance with UN Security Council resolutions, including through
temporary deployments for specific tasks and limited in size and
duration, provided all military conditions, and requirements for
the Kabul mission, are met. We will continue to address the scope
of such specific tasks. We welcome the German deployment of a pilot
Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT), under ISAF, in Kunduz.
Expecting that the establishment of additional PRTs will follow, we
consider that ISAF could move to assume military command of such
PRTs where consistent with military requirements and capabilities.
Achievement of these objectives will be subject to consultations
with and contributions from PRT framework nations and the provision
of the required assets, including for Kabul International Airport.
We will review NATO's contribution to stabilization efforts in
Afghanistan on a regular basis. It is necessary to ensure close
co-ordination and co-operation between ISAF and Operation Enduring
Freedom, and also with the Afghan National Army. Our forces will
also have to work closely with the UN Assistance Mission to
Afghanistan and other international organisations on the ground,
including the EU.
- The Alliance has made indispensable contributions to peace and
stability in the Balkans, and we remain fully committed to these
goals. In light of significant progress in Bosnia-Herzegovina, SFOR
will reduce to a deterrent force of around 7,000 troops by next
June. Over the coming months, we will consider how to adjust the
operation further, including its possible termination by the end of
2004 and a transition possibly to a new NATO military liaison and
advisory mission (NATO Headquarters Sarajevo) and to a new EU
mission within the framework of the Berlin Plus arrangements; in
this context, the NATO Military Authorities, keeping the Military
Committee informed, should consult with their EU counterparts on
Bosnia-Herzegovina, in accordance with agreed texts and
procedures.
- In Kosovo, however, a large NATO force remains essential. KFOR continues
to play an essential role in contributing to the maintenance of security
and stability. It will be restructured but will not be reduced below
17,500 troops for the time being. NATO and the EU have agreed a concerted
approach for the Western Balkans. In the former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia, NATO's support to the EU's Operation Concordia, on which
NATO has conducted its preliminary lessons learned process, successfully
demonstrated the effectiveness of the Berlin Plus arrangements. This
confirms the value of close NATO-EU cooperation more generally. In the
agreed framework of the NATO-EU strategic partnership, we will work
to develop further our cooperation where necessary. NATO's Partners
play a crucial role in NATO-led operations, which is but one instance
of the importance of our Partnerships for Euro-Atlantic security.
- Operation Active Endeavour continues to make a significant and
effective contribution to the fight against terrorism in the
Mediterranean. To date the mission has hailed over 36,000 vessels,
and has escorted almost 350 Allied civilian ships safely through
the Straits of Gibraltar.
- The Alliance continues to support Poland in its leadership of a
multinational division in Iraq. The North Atlantic Council will
review NATO's contribution to the stabilization efforts in Iraq on
a regular basis.
- Looking ahead to the Istanbul Summit, we have directed
that:
-
- the NATO Response Force should continue to be developed with a
view to achieving initial operational capability as soon as
possible but not later than October, 2004, and full operational
capability not later than October, 2006; and to enable the
effective use of this capability, measures should be pursued to
increase the Alliance's ability, on the basis of thorough
preparations, to prepare and launch operations quickly when the
Alliance decides to act;
- work should continue on the NATO multinational Chemical,
Biological, Radiological, Nuclear defence battalion in order to
achieve full operational capability from July 2004 onwards,
together with the development of the NATO Response Force;
- the implementation of the new command structure should continue
according to the agreed implementation plan, resulting in a more
effective and efficient structure. We look forward to achieving
significant reductions in the peacetime establishments of the new
command structure;
- work to implement both the national and multinational aspects
of the Prague Capabilities Commitment should continue as a matter
of urgency with a particular focus on deployability and
sustainability, and on addressing shortages in combat support and
combat service support;
- work on increasing the usability and deployability of the
Allies' forces, including the development of output targets for
both, and on the force generation process should continue as a
matter of particular priority;
- reports on these and other relevant aspects of efforts to
transform NATO's military capabilities should be provided to the
Heads of State and Government in Istanbul;
- work should continue on the protection of deployed NATO forces
against theatre ballistic missiles and on examining options for
protecting Alliance territory, forces and populations 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;
- work on strengthening Partnership for Peace should continue to
promote defence reform and transformation and the development of
the capabilities necessary to improve the interoperability of
Partner forces with NATO across the full range of missions which
Partners and Allies might carry out together
;
- the review of NATO agencies agreed at the Prague Summit is to
be completed in time for a final report to Ministers in December
2004.
- We wish to thank Lord Robertson of Port Ellen warmly for his
leadership role in guiding NATO's transformation. We are confident
that the new Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, will
continue to carry forward NATO's transformation, and build on the
Alliance's record of success, and pledge our full support to
him.
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Statement on Capabilities issued at the
Meeting of the North Atlantic Council in Defence Ministers Session,
excerpts
6. A year has passed since the Heads of State and Government
endorsed a set of nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) weapons
defence initiatives; work on them is now well advanced,
transforming prototypes into Alliance capabilities. The operational
fielding of the NBC Analytical Laboratory and the Joint Assessment
Team has been accelerated, and the concept for a NATO multinational
Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Defence Battalion
capability has been developed. The first such battalion, under the
leadership of the Czech Republic and with contributions from a
total of 13 nations, has today achieved its initial operational
capability and will reach full operational capability in July 2004.
Other rotations of the multinational battalion will follow, under
the leadership of other Allies, and will continue to make an
important contribution to the NATO Response Force and to the
Alliance's capability to address NBC threats.
7. Following the decision by our Heads of State and Government
in Prague, we initiated a new NATO missile defence feasibility
study which will examine options for protecting Alliance territory,
forces and population centres against the full range of missile
threats. Excellent progress has been made, and we are pleased to
report that the feasibility study is now under contract, with an
expected duration of 18 months. It will address critical issues
such as command and control architecture, and the optimum mix of
planned and existing systems and capabilities. We will also
continue work on Active Layered Theatre Ballistic Missile
Defence.
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Meeting of the NATO-Russia
Council at the level of Ministers of Defence NATO Headquarters,
Brussels, 1 December 2003
- We, the Defence Ministers of the NATO-Russia Council, met in
Brussels on 1 December 2003. Encouraged by the concrete progress
achieved to date in the NRC framework, we are determined to build
on achievements and to develop the means we need to act jointly in
the face of common threats and challenges. On that basis, we
renewed our commitment to deepening our engagement towards a
wide-ranging NATO-Russia partnership on defence and military
issues.
- On cooperation against terrorism, we welcomed the progress
achieved on threat assessments. We urged further work on practical
aspects of our fight against terrorism, and called for the
development of concrete measures to facilitate rapid cooperation in
response to future terrorist incidents, and welcomed the proposal
by Supreme Allied Commander Transformation to host the third
conference at senior level in this field, in Norfolk, in March
2004.
- We look forward to the completion of a joint assessment of
global trends in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction
and their means of delivery as a first and significant step towards
a comprehensive and regular exchange of views among NRC countries.
We agreed to continue broadening the current NATO-Russia
non-proliferation dialogue in support of efforts against
proliferation of nuclear, biological and chemical agents and their
delivery means, and to further explore possibilities for practical
cooperation.
- We welcomed the Russian invitation to NRC countries to observe
a field exercise on safe handling procedures for nuclear weapons,
as part of the ongoing consultations on nuclear weapons issues and
implementation of the NATO-Russia Nuclear Experts' Consultations
Work Plan for 2004.
- We applauded the progress achieved in taking forward the
proposal to conduct a NATO-Russia procedural exercise designed to
address the Political Aspects of a Generic Concept of Joint
NATO-Russia Peacekeeping Operations, and welcomed in this context
the successful completion of the preparatory phase of this
exercise. We welcomed the decision to take forward the
recommendations, resulting from an NRC peacekeeping seminar last
September in Berlin on training and interoperability, which will
enable closer cooperation between NATO and Russia in this realm. We
look forward to exploring possibilities of developing
interoperability between national military units in the field of
peacekeeping.
- We noted with satisfaction the progress made in carrying
forward Theatre Missile Defence (TMD) cooperation, particularly
from the perspective of developing procedures for cooperation
between NATO and Russian TMD forces in crisis response operations.
We welcomed specifically the development of an experimental TMD
concept and an experimental Concept of Operations, and the conduct
of a Command Post Exercise scheduled in early 2004, and stressed
the importance of a joint interoperability study launched this
year, which will analyse and evaluate possible levels of
interoperability of TMD systems.
- We welcomed the approval of the Cooperative Airspace Initiative
(CAI) Project Plan and encouraged the group to progress further on
the identification of possible solutions for the reciprocal
exchange of data on civil and military air traffic pictures, and
thereby enhance capabilities to combat terrorism threats to civil
aviation.
- We noted the progress achieved in implementing our first yearly
programme on defence reform and agreed a new Work Programme for
2004. We welcomed exchanges on the financial and budgetary aspects
of defence reform, as well as the geographic and functional
expansion of the NATO-Russia Retraining Centre, and encouraged
further intensification of our efforts in these areas. We
reiterated our determination to enhance practical work on
military-technical cooperation through its defence industrial and
research and technology dimensions. Finally, we agreed to develop
measures to enhance transparency in defence planning and force
structures to address jointly ongoing efforts at development and
modernisation of our armed forces. We agreed to explore what
instruments could be used to increase the interoperability and
deployability for joint operations of NATO and Russian forces.
- We stressed that improving interoperability was a key priority
in order to increase the capability of NATO and Russian forces to
act together. In this context, we welcomed the Exercise and
Training Programme agreed for 2004 and beyond under the direction
and oversight of the NATO Chiefs of Defence Staff and the Chief of
the Russian General Staff, as well as the practical activities
agreed in the framework of the 2004 Work Programme on Cooperation
on Search and Rescue at Sea. We also welcomed the imminent start of
discussions on the development of protocols for visits by NATO and
Russian naval units to each other's ports.
- In the field of interoperability and with the aim of
facilitating joint action, we agreed to take forward a coherent and
unified programme of logistic cooperation, including ongoing
projects on air-to-air refuelling and the use of Russian transport
capability. We agreed to facilitate the development of the
necessary legal framework for such cooperation, including through
the development of Memoranda of Understanding on Air Transport and
Host Nation Support. We welcomed the readiness of the Russian
Federation and NATO to conclude a Status of Forces Agreement as a
critical step towards joint military activities, and urged the
rapid completion of negotiations in the near future.
- As a further demonstration of an ever-deepening NATO-Russia
relationship, we welcomed the establishment of a direct secure
telephone communication link between the Secretary General and the
Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation. We conveyed our
special gratitude to the Chairman of the NATO-Russia Council, Lord
Robertson of Port Ellen, for his personal contribution to the
development of a new quality in NATO-Russia cooperation. We are
confident that the new chairman, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, will
continue to build on this record of success.
Source: NATO, http://www.nato.int.
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© 2003 The Acronym Institute.
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