Category: Europe

The event provided an opportunity to reflect on initiatives, lessons learned, and best practices in SALW control in the Middle East and North Africa in particular, and to exchange views on challenges and potential solutions at regional and global levels. The participants included high-ranking officials from Allied and partner countries, along with representatives from international organisations including the United Nations, the European Union, the League of Arab States, Interpol and the World Customs Organisation.

The first three panels addressed challenges and initiatives undertaken at national, regional and global level respectively. The fourth panel focused on the impact that recent developments in manufacturing, technology and design of SALW have on the efforts to tackle the illicit trafficking of these weapons.

NATO has a long track record of contributing to SALW control. NATO supports partner countries in this area through various projects, including providing training courses, helping in the destruction of excess stockpiles of SALW and ammunition, assisting in the construction of infrastructure, and providing equipment. NATO has established an ad hoc working group on SALW and mine action that meets regularly in the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) format. This forum of 50 NATO and partner countries is a key platform for information sharing, policy coordination and project implementation. 

NATO supports the implementation of the UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in SALW, adopted in July 2001. NATO has contributed to UN efforts to develop international standards for ammunition life-cycle management. NATO has also published guidelines on gender mainstreaming in the area of SALW based on International Small Arms Control Standards and UN Security Council Resolution 1325. 

On 3 October 2023, Admiral Bauer spoke at the first event of the day, titled “Europe at War: Beefing Up of NATO’s Collective Defence”. Moderated by (Retired) Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, Former Commander of US Army Europe, the panel also featured the Minister of Defence of North Macedonia, Mrs Slavjanka Petrovska; the Minister of State (Minister for Armed Forces) of the United Kingdom, Mr James Heappey; and the Minister of Defence of Slovenia, Mr Marajan Šarec.
 
The panellists discussed the implications of Russia’s war against Ukraine for Europe as well as for NATO’s biggest overhaul of its defensive shield since the Cold War. Elaborating on how decades of defence underinvestment have now left NATO countries with their ammunition warehouses either half-full or even emptier, Admiral Bauer stated: “The next steps in collective defence will need close and proactive cooperation between the public and the private sector. There is so much more we can achieve together. NATO is stronger and readier than ever.”
 
On the sidelines of the event, Admiral Bauer also had the opportunity to sit with Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister, Mrs Olha Stefanishyna to exchange views on the current developments in Russia’s war against Ukraine. The Chair reiterated that Ukrainian people, military and civilian alike, are “steadily taking back what’s theirs”, adding that “they have our full and unwavering support. Ukraine will prevail and we will help them every step of the way”.
 
Later that day, Admiral Bauer accepted the Knight of Freedom Award on behalf of the Alliance. One of Poland’s most important foreign policy and human rights award, the Casimir Pulaski Foundation chose to bestow it on NATO in recognition for its role in promoting peace and security in Europe; its strong Collective Defence; and its efforts in cooperative security, especially with regards to the relentless support to Ukraine. Receiving the award, the Chair of the NATO Committee highlighted the work done by the 3.2 million men and women in uniform across the Alliance, commending their sense of duty and devotion to putting “the We before the Me”.
 
On the second day of the forum, Admiral Bauer sat on a panel with Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, General Rajmund Andrzejcazk and Member of the Finnish Parliament, Chair of Foreign Affairs Committee, Mrs Tytti Tuppurainen. Speakers debated the implications of the Vilnius Summit for the Alliance and for Central and Eastern Europe, with a specific focus on the strengthening of NATO’s Eastern Flank. 
 
Commenting on NATO’s priorities as we look at the Washington Summit, Admiral Bauer highlighted the importance of ensuring full executability of the Regional Plans – through  more troops on higher readiness; capability building and development; adaptation of NATO’s command and control structures; more enablement; and more collective defence training and exercises. “These plans are all part of the new era of collective defence for the Alliance. In a more dangerous and competitive world, we must continue to invest more and invest more together in NATO,” stated the Admiral relaunching a strong message of unity. “Our resolve to protect the one billion citizens that live on Allied soil remains unwavering. Every day, we build on the strong ties between Allies and harvest the centuries of military expertise that we all possess,” he added.
 
At the margins of the Warsaw Security Forum, Admiral Bauer also held bilateral meetings with General Andrzejczak; Poland’s Deputy Minister of Defence and Secretary of State, Mr Marcin Ociepa; as well as with Mrs Kajsa Ollongren, Mr Angel Tîlvăr and Mr Pål Jonson, respectively Ministers of Defence of The Netherlands, Romania and Sweden. During his exchange with General Andrzejczak, Admiral Bauer praised Poland’s steadfast commitment to the Alliance since 1999. Among other things, Poland is home to two NATO Force Structure headquarters – the Multinational Corps Northeast in Szczecin and the Multinational Division North East in Elblag –; and additionally, in 2024 it will host Steadfast Defender 24, NATO’s largest collective defence exercise in recent years. “Poland makes valuable contributions to our shared security to ensure our Alliance remains strong and ready to deter and defend as required. A strong national security is an essential pillar of our collective security,” noted the Chair, commending the country’s substantial ramp up in military and defence spending.
 
Organised since 2014 by the Casimir Pulaski Foundation, in strategic partnership with NATO and the National Security Bureau to the President of the Republic of Poland, the Warsaw Security Forum gathers annually over 1500 high representatives of governments, international organisations, industry, think tanks and civil society from over 90 countries. 

The Deputy Secretary General stressed that Ukraine’s security is of great importance to the Alliance. He commended Allies and Ukraine’s efforts to quickly implement decisions from the Vilnius Summit. Allies continue to provide substantial assistance to Ukraine, including through NATO’s Comprehensive Assistance package, and are taking forward important work to ensure Ukraine’s forces are fully interoperable with NATO. All of this means that Ukraine is closer to NATO than ever before. 

The NATO-Ukraine Council is a joint body where Allies and Ukraine meet for crisis consultations and to take decisions as equals. Today was the third meeting of the NUC since its first meeting at the Vilnius Summit in July with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The NUC also met with ambassadors in July to discuss the serious security situation in the Black Sea.

Mr Stoltenberg stressed the importance of continued support to Ukraine as the only way to achieve a just and lasting peace. He welcomed that Allies are sharing the burden equitably, with around half of the military support pledged for Ukraine coming from the US, and the other half from European Allies and Canada. He also highlighted the steps taken at the Vilnius Summit to bring Ukraine closer to the Alliance than ever before – including the removal of the requirement for a Membership Action Plan, the establishment of the NATO-Ukraine Council, and a major package to achieve full interoperability of the Ukrainian forces with NATO. 
 
The Secretary General visited Kyiv on 28 September, expressing NATO’s strong support in meetings with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his government. The following day, Mr Stoltenberg delivered a video address to the first meeting of the International Defence Industry Forum in Kyiv, stressing that “Ukraine needs capabilities: high quality, high quantity, and quickly.”

Speaking alongside Prime Minister Frederiksen at the Copenhagen Quantum Conference 2023, Mr Stoltenberg said: “NATO has always adapted to and adopted new technologies to keep our people safe”. He added: “with the rapid spread of disruptive technologies, we must adapt further and faster than ever before, including in the field of quantum…. We need to make sure these technologies work for us – not against us.” He further praised Denmark for being “a driving force behind NATO’s innovation agenda, and a leader in the field on quantum technologies in Europe.

The Secretary General confirmed that NATO will have developed a quantum strategy by the end of this year, to ensure the Alliance is “quantum-ready” and “able to integrate the right technologies into our capabilities and protect against adversarial use.”

Later in the day, the Secretary General opened the new NATO accelerator site “Deep Tech Lab – Quantum” together with the Danish Minister of Defence, Troels Lund Poulsen; the Minister for Industry, Business and Financial Affairs, Morten Bødskov; and the Minister of Higher Education and Science, Christina Egelund. The Lab will help start-ups from across the Alliance commercialise quantum-enabled solutions, as part of NATO’s new Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA).

DIANA consists of a network of test centers and accelerator sites across NATO countries, where innovators develop new technologies to solve pressing security challenges. The Deep Tech Lab – Quantum in Copenhagen is one of five pilot accelerator sites launched in 2023.

“But courage alone does not stop drones, heroism alone cannot intercept missiles. Ukraine needs capabilities, high quality, high quantity, and quickly,” Mr Stoltenberg said, adding that “there is no defence without industry.”

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion last year, many Allies have significantly depleted their stocks in order to support Ukraine. NATO is working through its Defence Production Action Plan to aggregate demand and increase interoperability. The NATO Support and Procurement Agency is overseeing a number of major initiatives, including framework contracts for €2.4 billion worth of key ammunition, including €1 billion of firm orders to cover capabilities such as 155 millimetre artillery, anti-tank guided missiles, and main battle tank ammunition.

The Secretary General praised the resourcefulness of the Ukrainian defence industry, saying: “from drones to de-mining, Ukraine has innovated at lightning speed”. He added that “the stronger Ukraine is on the battlefield, the stronger their position will be at any negotiating table. So while it may sound like a paradox, weapons for Ukraine are the way to peace”.

Major defence companies from across the Alliance attended the Forum, with participants from over 20 countries. NATO was represented by Assistant Secretary General for Defence Investment Wendy Gilmour.