NATO To Be Proactive on Security but Not Become Global Policeman
09 February 2006
Supreme allied commander details missions, accomplishments, needs
Washington -- NATO is undergoing both a physical and philosophical transformation that will result in a more proactive alliance operating beyond its traditional borders to prevent crisis and conflict, says General James L. Jones, NATO’s supreme allied commander.
“I wouldn’t characterize NATO as becoming a global policeman,” Jones said. “NATO will go where political guidance directs us to go, working closely with accepted political decision-making authorities like the United Nations … to see where it can be helpful.”
Jones made these observations during testimony February 7 before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and February 8 at the Foreign Press Center in Washington.
NATO originally was created during the Cold War to defend Europe from Soviet aggression. Current security threats, he said, are from different regions and nonstate sources. The threats largely are asymmetrical, requiring smaller, multicapable, expeditionary forces; not slow-moving, massive buildups of men and machinery to face Soviet troops.
Now, Jones said, NATO has an increasingly closer relationship with Russia, with the two holding frequent joint exercises to achieve interoperability and develop stronger bonds. In February, he said, Russian warships will join Operation Active Endeavor, NATO’s operation of defense against terrorism in the Mediterranean, as full partners.
Security threats now are common to all, Jones said. “They’re not just oriented towards Russia or towards the alliance, but towards all of us,” he said, “and we must work together to bring about the conditions that enhance our security concerns. And we can do that better by working together.”
Strategic efficiencies can be accomplished, he said, by transforming U.S. and European militaries into smaller forces with expanded, specialized capabilities, sharing resources and revamping NATO’s funding mechanisms, which currently require each country to fund all aspects of its own troop deployment for the common defense. That rule was made at a time when it never was expected that any member’s forces would travel far outside Europe, Jones said.
This arrangement no longer makes sense in an era in which NATO has approximately 30,000 troops deployed on three continents, he said, and is a disincentive for smaller nations to participate in operations.
To improve joint capabilities, NATO members agreed in 2002 that each country would strive to set aside no less than 2 percent of its gross domestic budget for defense. Almost four years later, Jones said, only seven countries have achieved that goal.
“Our efforts to procure agreed upon strategic capabilities such as strategic lift, the alliance ground surveillance system, computer information systems and the like have not been funded adequately, “ Jones said. Renewed support for NATO’s funding goals was expressed at the February 3-5 Munich Security Conference. (See related article.)
Despite these problems, the alliance is strong and “visible, vital and vibrant,” he said, adding that confirmation of its credibility and strength is evident in the fact that not one nation is seeking to leave the alliance but there is a waiting list of countries seeking to gain membership. And, although there are only 26 NATO members, 42 nations willingly serve under its flag, he said.
“[W]hether it’s in the case of disaster relief or humanitarian operations or training missions in remote parts of the world where NATO can bring stability and security and help struggling democracies achieve their ultimate goals for their people – which is a better life and a more secure life and economic opportunities – that’s the will of nations, that NATO will bring its capacity to do those kinds of things,” he said.
AFGHANISTAN
NATO’s most ambitious undertaking, Jones said, is its expansion of International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) operations in Afghanistan. Currently, there are about 9,000 ISAF troops in the north and west quadrants of that country and 6,000 more are scheduled to be deployed to the southern region – almost 3,000 more than the previous highest troop levels -- followed quickly by a further expansion into the eastern sector where American forces are currently predominant. French and Turkish troops will collaborate to provide more security in the capital region, he said.
The ISAF forces will coordinate with the U.S. Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, Jones said, but both missions will retain separate identities. There will be only one command-and-control headquarters, he explained. ISAF’s deputy commander for security, an American, is the officer with dual responsibility for ISAF security and coordination of the U.S. Central Command.
For additional information, see Rebuilding Afghanistan.
NATO RESPONSE FORCE
The NATO Response Force (NRF), conceived at the organization’s 2002 summit in Prague, Czech Republic, is expected to be fully operational by its 2006 summit in Riga, Latvia, Jones said. The NRF, he explained, is an integrated, combined force of 25,000 land, sea, air and special operations troops, all under one command, certified to handle seven distinct missions from forcible entry to humanitarian assistance. The force is expected to be able to deploy within five days, and have the ability to independently maintain security and stabilize a situation for up to 120 days, until more traditional forces, if needed, can arrive.
The NRF just completed its first significant mission, providing relief aid to the victims of Pakistan’s October 2005 earthquake, he said.
In summer 2006, the NRF will conduct live exercises in Cape Verde, Africa, to “test the NATO Response Force one more time prior to, hopefully, declaring full operational capability in October of this year,” he said.
OTHER OPERATIONS
In Iraq, Jones said, NATO trains security forces in Baghdad and assisted in establishing a national defense university there. NATO also has provided training opportunities for various Iraqi leaders at educational facilities across Europe and coordinated the donation of equipment to the Iraqi military, he said. (See Iraq Update.)
In addition to assisting the African Union (AU) forces with airlifts to the troubled Darfur region of Sudan, NATO is using its experience to help the AU develop better security capabilities in joint operations, logistics, communications and command and control, Jones said. (See Darfur Humanitarian Emergency.)
A transcript of Jones’ briefing is available on the State Department Foreign Press Center Web site. For information on how U.S. foreign assistance is affecting lives, see Partnership for a Better Life.
For additional information on U.S. policy, see International Security.
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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