NATO: Defense Ministers Discuss Alliance Reforms, Ongoing Operations

NATO: Defense Ministers Discuss Alliance Reforms, Ongoing Operations

By Ahto Lobjakas

Defense ministers from the 26 NATO member states are in Brussels today for their once-yearly formal meeting. They will discuss a range of issues, among them increasing the global reach of the militaries of the member states, NATO support to peacekeeping efforts in Sudan, and how to handle Uzbekistan in the wake of the mass killings in Andijon last month.

Brussels, 9 June 2005 (RFE/RL) -- The NATO meeting in Brussels on Thursday takes place amid conflicting sentiments.

On the one hand, the alliance defense ministers are looking at a range of ongoing and planned operations -- intended, among other things, to bolster NATO's global relevance.

On the other hand, there is widespread recognition that most member states do not spend nearly enough on defense and are dragging their feet when it comes to reshaping their militaries to meet NATO's needs.

The meeting very nearly began under the shadow of another U.S.- European spat reminiscent of the run-up to the Iraq war two years ago.

NATO and the European Union appeared to be at odds over which organization would get the lead role in a joint effort to provide the African Union with strategic airlift to transport soldiers from countries in the continent to Darfur, Sudan.

However, officials say the issue only involved the United States and France, and was resolved on Wednesday. Now both NATO and the EU will jointly coordinate the airlift, the former using its command facilities at Mons in Belgium and the latter operating out of Eindhoven in the Netherlands.

Both NATO and the EU have so far ruled out sending troops to Darfur.

The ministers are due to formally agree to send three additional battalions to Afghanistan to provide security for the country's 18 September legislative elections. The troops will be provided by Italy, Romania, and the Netherlands.

NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said the alliance is continuing to watch the Afghanistan's security situation closely.

"The enlargement of the ISAF mission to the western regions of the country was completed on 31 May, and our priority at the moment is to make sure that the National Assembly and provincial elections next autumn can take place in a safe and secure environment," de Hoop Scheffer said.

Iraq will also be discussed, but the allies are not yet ready to assume responsibility for the security of the roughly 150 military training personnel NATO has agreed to provide.

De Hoop Scheffer said a center would soon be established in Iraq to aid in the training.

"In Iraq, we remain resolute in our determination to give assistance to the democratic development of the country," de Hoop Scheffer said. "All allies are contributing to the NATO mission aimed at training Iraqi forces, and we are delighted by the perspective of the creation of the NATO Training, Equipment, and Doctrine Center in Ar Rustimiyah by September."

Meanwhile, two separate reports will detail shortcomings in NATO's drive to increase the "deployability" and "usability" of the forces of its member states. Most European allies lag far behind the commitments they took at the Istanbul summit last year to prepare their militaries for long-distance operations.

Another thorny issue involves defense expenditure. Only two European allies -- Britain and France -- spend more than the 2 percent of GDP NATO tacitly requires its members to allocate to defense. Officials say that formally, about half of the members will today agree to increase defense funding, while the rest will promise not to cut spending.

Although Uzbekistan will not be formally on the agenda of today's North Atlantic Council meeting, it is expected to be actively discussed on the sidelines.

It will also be raised at the gathering of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) tomorrow morning, bringing together NATO members and its partner nations.

Uzbekistan, although one of the partner countries, will not be attending the meeting.

NATO backs calls by the United Nations for an independent investigation into claims that hundreds of demonstrators were slain by government troops in Andijon last month. Uzbekistan has so far refused to allow such an inquiry.

Officials say initial plans to suspend NATO's Partnership for Peace (PfP) agreement with Uzbekistan have now been dropped because they threatened to leave the alliance without any leverage over Tashkent.

However, NATO has already canceled two events in Uzbekistan, and is looking at the possibility of using Pakistan, rather than Uzbekistan, for tactical support in continuing operations in Afghanistan.

The United States, meanwhile, has unilaterally downscaled its reliance on military bases in Uzbekistan and withheld some military aid.

Officials say cutting PfP ties would achieve little, as Uzbekistan itself has shown almost no interest in cooperation and there is virtually no practical work taking place.

Uzbekistan has also failed to turn up for two previous EAPC events. Officials say NATO continues to hope to engage individual Uzbek officials by encouraging them to attend PfP events.

NATO has also discussed the issue with Russia and will do so again at today's NATO-Russia partnership council meeting. However, officials say hopes of securing Russian pressure on Uzbekistan have not materialized.

Russia appears to support Tashkent's version of the events in Andijon, saying they were instigated by international terrorists. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov last month said Chechen fighters had been present in Uzbekistan.

NATO will also hold a meeting today with the Ukrainian defense minister, Anatoliy Gritsenko. Officials say Ukraine will be told its rapprochement with NATO can only continue if Kyiv shows tangible progress in reforming its military.

Recent moves by Ukraine to help resolve the conflict in neighboring Transdniester could also be discussed.

NEWSLETTER

Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list

Military

NATO: Defense Ministers Discuss Alliance Reforms, Ongoing Operations