NEWS RELEASE
27 June
2008
NEW CHAIRMAN OF
THE NATO MILITARY COMMITTEE
BRUSSELS -- Admiral Giampaolo Di Paola,
former Chief of the Italian Defense Staff, assumed today the position of
Chairman of the NATO Military Committee – NATO’s top military officer – from
outgoing Canadian Gen. Ray Henault, who will return to
Canada to retire after three years as the
Chairman and 40 years of military service.
“I am honoured by the confidence shown in me
through my election by fellow Chiefs of Defense,” said Adm. Di Paola. “The reform and transformation agenda under
Gen. Henault’s leadership have situated the Military Committee to configure
itself better to address the security challenges of today and
tomorrow.”
“My first thought goes to the almost 70,000
women and men who are serving the cause of peace every day under the NATO flag,
from Kosovo to Iraq to
Afghanistan,” said Adm. Di Paola. “I am strongly committed to continuing the
process of shaping NATO military structures and policies. Building on the
relationships we have with new partners and new members-to-be will also be a top
priority of mine.”
The Chairman of the Military Committee is the principal
military advisor to the Secretary General and the North Atlantic Council, and
the conduit through which consensus-based advice from NATO’s Chiefs of Defence
is brought forward to the political decision-making bodies of NATO.
“It has been a tremendous time to serve at the
heart of the most important security organisation in the world,”
said Gen. Henault,
Chairman of NATO Military Committee since June 2005. “The speed and pace of activity and reform
at NATO these past three years have been relentless. We’ve conducted operations
on four continents. We’ve increased our footprint in
Afghanistan from about 5,000 to more than 50,000 and have
maintained capable and responsive forces in Kosovo. We’ve developed advice in
support of two Summits and are preparing for another
Summit in 2009, which is the 60th
anniversary year both for the Alliance and the Military
Committee.”
“We have also made real progress on
transforming our organisation, building needed military capabilities and
deepening our partnerships” continued Gen. Henault. “Of course, much more needs to be done,
but I am hopeful that the ongoing review of the NATO command structure, flowing
from the establishment of a new level of ambition for the
Alliance in 2006, will be a catalyst for the military
component of this organisation to become more deployable, more effective and
more efficient. Admiral Di Paola is exceptionally capable of taking this work
forward.”
Since
1963, when the position was made full-time and determined by election, the
position has been held by 16 officers from:
Germany (5 times), the
United
Kingdom (three times),
Canada (twice),
Norway (twice),
Italy (now twice, with Adm. Di Paola);
and Belgium and the
Netherlands (once each).
Images of the
handover ceremony and further information concerning the Chairmanship of the
NATO Military Committee can be found at www.nato.int/ims.