Establishment of allied command marks NEW beginning for NATO
SACLANT Media Advisory
June 13, 2003
Advisory # 0101-03
NORFOLK, VA In an historical ceremony on June 19,
2003, Allied Command Atlantic will be decommissioned and Allied Command
Transformation will be established. The
decommissioning/establishment ceremony will take place at the North
American NATO headquarters in Norfolk, VA, at 10 a.m.
The ceremony will be attended by Senior political and military members of
NATO, including Secretary General Lord George Robertson; Chairman of the
Military Committee General Harold Kujat; and Supreme Allied Commander,
Europe General Jim Jones, USMC. Every nation from the 19-member
Alliance and the seven nations invited to join NATO, will be represented.
"The creation of a strategic command focused on transformation is a
significant event in the history of the Alliance," said Admiral Ian
Forbes, who will be the last Supreme Allied Commander, Atlantic. "It is a
monumental change that will result in this command being devoted to
intellectual, cultural and technological innovation facilitated by
war-gaming, experimentation and education.
"NATO is transforming to meet the new challenges of the
21st century. NATO's core mission of
defending the nations of the Alliance remains; but the threats of the
Cold War have ended, and the new threats a dangerous nexus of
terrorism, weapons of mass destruction and rogue dictatorial
regimes are growing.
At the 2002 Prague Summit, NATO nations agreed to a slimmer military
command structure, a rebalanced relationship at the strategic level, and
a global role for the Alliance, with expeditionary capabilities such as
the NATO Response Force, a force able to operate as and where required in
high intensity war fighting in joint and combined contexts.
NOTE TO MEDIA:
The ceremony is not open to the public. Invitations are required
to attend. Media who would like to attend the ceremony should
contact the SACLANT Public Information Office at (757) 445-3600 by June
18 for base access. More information about Allied Command Transformation
can be found at
www.saclant.nato.int
and
www.nato.int
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
