BRUSSELS -- Chiefs of defence from the 26 NATO member nations today wrapped up two days of intensive discussions at NATO Headquarters on a wide range of military-related issues. Chiefs of defence and/or senior officers from 30 partner nations also attended the final day of meetings, in Partnership for Peace, Mediterranean Dialogue, NATO-Ukraine, and NATO-Russia formats.

            “We made progress on a number of key issues on the Alliance’s military agenda,” said Gen. Ray Henault, Chairman of NATO’s Military Committee, and NATO’s top officer. “We reviewed all our ongoing operations, particularly in Afghanistan, and discussed ways and means to continue work to transform our processes, organization and work as needed to meet today’s requirements and tomorrow’s challenges.

            The NATO chiefs of defence also assessed progress on Kosovo and the Balkans, the training mission in Iraq, naval counter terrorism operations in the Mediterranean, and support to the African Union mission in Darfur.

            “We took stock of the situation in Afghanistan, which is this organization’s number one operational priority,” said Henault. “We remain committed to providing security to allow the extension of Aghan government authority across the country, and to allow sustainable reconstruction and development efforts to take hold. We also confirmed our support to continue development of military-to-military relations with Afghanistan’s neighbours, particularly with Pakistan – which have shown marked improvement recently – through the vehicle of the Tripartite Commission and other means.”

            “Real challenges remain for the foreseeable future, but we have good reason for optimism at the overall progress country-wide of military related aspects of the Afghanistan mission, including the development of the Afghan National Army,” continued Henault. “NATO has 37,000 well-trained, well-equipped and well-led men and women operating throughout the country, and that figure continues to grow. In the south in particular, we have seized the initiative, consolidated gains from last year’s operations and activities, and have strong momentum from this spring heading into summer. That said, we remain concerned about progress to develop the Afghan National Police, as that is such an important element of day-to-day local and regional security. We agreed to look at some ways and means to enhance military support and thereby help build more capability in this national institution.”

            “The Military Committee agreed that resourcing the training and liaison teams for the Afghan National Army is a key priority. These units, which provide a much needed mentoring and support function, are a top NATO military priority that need to be fielded if we are to further help develop the structures necessary to allow Afghans to eventually provide for their own security,” said Henault.

            Chiefs of defence were also informed of the current situation in Kosovo, then assessed and guided the development of the NATO military plan through to the post-transition period. This work is being done in close cooperation with counterparts in the European Union.

            Operational support issues were also on the agenda, and the meetings continued the work stemming from political decisions at Riga and the recent meeting of NATO foreign affairs ministers in Oslo. The Military Committee discussed ways to further develop policy to improve the manner and way the Alliance plans, conducts and coordinates operations in practical, on-the-ground terms at all levels with partners, the UN, non-governmental organizations, and local actors in all phases of a conflict.

            Military chiefs also discussed ways to improve long-term implementation of the NATO Response Force, and the status of the comprehensive review of the NATO command structure.

            “Financial resources and the establishment review of NATO’s command structure are two key, interlinked activities that will increasingly focus the work of the Military Committee,” said Henault.

            “NATO is doing more than ever before, with more partners, further afield, and in  complex environments. In Afghanistan, this involves work to facilitate reconstruction, help build capacity in Afghan security forces, and when required, conduct combat operations. Zero-growth or limited growth in military budgeting in the face of doing more, means we need to take stock of our priorities to ensure our money is efficiently and effectively spent on those operational aspects that nations assign most value to. At the same time, the Military Committee will continue to assess how the current NATO military headquarters and command structures need to be adjusted in order to conduct future operations and missions in accordance with the new level of ambition established by Ministerial Guidance 2006.”

            “We had  particularly informative sessions with our partners,” continued Henault. “Partners provide significant military capability to all our operations. We were particularly pleased to receive briefings from Albania and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia[1], two aspirant nations; the Republic of Serbia, one of the newest Partnership for Peace members; and Switzerland.”

            Discussions with Mediterranean Dialogue nations focused on operations, including NATO’s only Article 5 defence-of-the-Alliance mission, Operation Active Endeavour, being conducted in the Mediterranean Sea.

            The Ukranian chief of defence and his NATO counterparts discussed improvements in the operational capabilities of the armed forces of Ukraine, and assessed the NATO-Ukraine work plan.

            “I had a useful and warm bilateral discussion with Gen. Baluyevskyi ahead of the final session of the day,” said Henault. “And, during the NATO-Russia Council meeting with all chiefs of defence, we exchanged views on our cooperation efforts, and reviewed progress on the NATO-Russia work plan for 2007.”

            ”The NATO-Russia Council with military chiefs of defence has been a productive forum for almost five years now for consultation with 27 equal partners,” said Henault.  “Our discussion today focused on the ways and means to continue building on our mutually beneficial, practical military-to-military cooperation activities to develop interoperability. Last summer, for example, Russia began supporting NATO’s anti-terrorism mission [in the Mediterranean], which is but one example of how much our military-to-military relationship has evolved.”

            “In the course of the meeting, Gen. Baluyevskyi explained and clarified the Russian position on a number of matters, including missile defence and on the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, which was useful. In response, Allies re-stated the NATO positions, including our collective commitment to the CFE Treaty as a cornerstone of European security. We welcomed the opportunity to continue to discuss issues of common interest with a view to better appreciating our respective positions. It was an open and mature dialogue.”

            The meetings of the NATO Military Committee at the level of Chiefs of Defence Staff take place three times a year, including twice in Brussels. Once a year, the meeting is convened in a member country: in the fall of 2007, this will be in Canada.

             Gen. Henault confirmed to the Military Committee that he would retire next summer after a 40-year career, and on conclusion of a mandated three-year tenure as NATO’s senior military officer. The next Chairman will be elected by the NATO chiefs of defence at the November 2007 meeting in Brussels.