NATO chiefs of defense discussed plans to strengthen the integration of NATO military planning with planning of the alliance’s member-states, thus ushering in a “new era of collective defense,” Chair of the NATO Military Committee Adm. Rob Bauer said.
“But this meeting was historic for another reason as well. Because today the Chiefs of Defense discussed an unparalleled integration of NATO and national military planning. NATO is in a new era for collective defense and it is an era that we are ready for,” Bauer said at a press conference.
Bauer noted that the parties also discussed plans for regional development and the expansion of rapid reaction forces throughout the territory of the alliance.
“Which is why we also addressed the requirement for strengthened command and control capabilities … which are linked to our New Force Requirements, which will set the number and types of equipment and organizations that we require, across all regions and domains … this process is ongoing — and the fruits of that labor will be presented, in a few months, to the Allied Heads of State and Government at the Vilnius Summit,” Bauer added.
In addition, NATO countries should be ready for a possible conflict at any moment, he noted.
“We have to prepare for the fact that conflict can present itself at any time … The NATO Military Authorities have been monitoring Russia’s pattern of increasingly aggressive behavior. Together, we have implemented the biggest increase in collective defense since the Cold War. But that work is not done yet,” Bauer said.
He concluded that greater integration of military planning at the NATO and national levels would allow the alliance to ensure that all member countries act together.
