Category: Europe

Opening the working session, the Chair of the Military Committee, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, underscored that the meeting of Allied Chiefs of Defence is a testament to NATO’s enduring unity and strength, and that cohesion among Allied militaries is the bedrock of NATO’s collective defence. The Chair stressed the priorities for the NATO Military Authorities, especially in these challenging times: continue providing unfettered and timely military advice to political leadership, underpinned by collective clarity and decisiveness. The Allied Chiefs of Defence session focus was to discuss further strengthening NATO’S deterrence and defence, in order to continue adapting to the security challenges facing the Alliance. 

During the following session, Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) briefed the Chiefs of Defence on NATO’s deterrence and defence posture, and the status quo and way ahead of NATO’s operations, missions, and activities. 

Then, Chiefs of Defence discussed with Admiral Pierre Vandier, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT) about NATO’s Defence Planning Process and developments in innovation and the adoption of new systems.

The final session with the Chief of Defence of Ukraine, General Oleksandr Syrskyi (attending via videoconference), focused on the current state of play in Ukraine. Allies reiterated their support to Ukraine, and emphasised why now – more than ever – it is key for NATO to continue to provide Ukraine what is needed for its defence.

Wrapping up a fruitful meeting, CMC farewelled fellow Chiefs of Defence, looking forward to the next meeting in this format later in the year.

Established in 2024, the Community brings together quantum experts from national governments, industry, academia, funding bodies, and research institutions from 22 Allies. 
 
Addressing the Community at a meeting at NATO Headquarters on 12 May, NATO’s Deputy Secretary General Radmila Shekerinska thanked Denmark for its leading role as TQC inaugural Chair and wished the United Kingdom a successful year in this position. She stressed that TQC provides a unique platform for collaboration between quantum and defence industry and NATO end-users. 
 
Representatives from Australia, Japan, the Republic of Korean and the EU also took part in this week’s discussions. “This is what this Transatlantic Quantum Community is all about”, the Deputy Secretary General said. Such collaboration will help “harness the opportunities and mitigate the risks that these game-changing technologies present” and make sure that we “stay ahead – and stay safe” she concluded.
 
The Transatlantic Quantum Community is the first deliverable of NATO’s quantum strategy approved in 2023.

At the Military Committee in Permanent Session, Admiral Cubides briefed NATO Military Representatives on Colombia’s security strategy and leading role in countering illicit trafficking through Operation ORION. During the session, CMC recognised “Colombia’s extensive experience in maritime security and tackling organised crime”, with a wider link to Colombia’s counter-terrorism agenda.

During an official meeting, Admiral Cavo Dragone highlighted Colombia’s role as a Global Partner, the successful implementation of practical military cooperation between NATO and Colombia, and addressed ways to further strengthen the partnership between the Alliance and its only South American Partner.

Admiral Cubides also met with the Director General of the NATO International Military Staff, Lieutenant General Janusz Adamczak, where the linkages between NATO and Colombia’s respective security environments were discussed. The need for strong partnerships with like-minded nations such as Colombia aiming at maintaining the rules-based international order was also underlined.  

The next engagement for Admiral Cubides was a briefing by Major General Dacian-Tiberiu Serban, Director of the IMS Cooperative Security Division. Both parties used the opportunity to discuss practical elements of military cooperation between NATO and Colombia, defined by the political goals set in Colombia’s Individually Tailored Partnership Programme (ITPP) and translated into military objectives facilitating the implementation of practical military cooperation. As the current ITPP cycle is coming to an end, and the negotiations for the next ITPP cycle have started, Admiral Cubides and Major General Serban acknowledged the need to continue engaging in strong, mutually beneficial military cooperation aimed at interoperability between Colombia and NATO.

NATO and Colombia began their cooperation in 2015, which only grew following Colombia’s signing of their ITPP in 2021. At the time, Colombia was the first partner country to sign an ITPP, paving the way for a more streamlined approach to NATO partnerships. Today, the cooperation covers a wide range of issues, including cyber security, terrorism, the fight against corruption and maritime security. 

Operation ORION is a multilateral counter narcotics campaign which has been coordinated by Colombia and consists of numerous international actors, including NATO Allies and Partner countries.

The very first event was the Munich Leaders Meeting, organized by the Munich Security Conference, gathering senior leaders from both sides of the Atlantic to hold informal discussions on the most pressing security and geopolitical developments. CMC used the platform for a frank exchange emphasising that “cohesion is critical, vis-à-vis common threats and challenges. Unity across NATO isn’t just a political ambition, it’s a strategic requirement. And unity must extend beyond governments, to include our economies, societies, and defence communities.” Furthermore, he stressed that “in today’s global security environment, unilateral actions may offer short-term gains, but enduring stability and legitimate deterrence are only possible through unity and trust.”

Another high-level event attended by the CMC was the Strategic Dialogue with NATO Pacific Partners, hosted by NATO Allied Command Transformation. This engagement focused on fostering a strategic level civil-military dialogue between NATO and its Indo-Pacific Partners, by encouraging open conversations on common topics of interest. In the occasion, CMC highlighted that “the NATO Chiefs of Defence meeting held last January, which brought together more than twenty-five partner Chiefs of Defence, underscored how deeply we value these relationships, across the globe, and in the Indo-Pacific among the most relevant.” He concluded reminding that “we are united by common purposes: securing peace, preserving freedom, and protecting the generations to come.”

CMC’s final event took place at the Allied Warfighters Talks, co-organized by NATO ACT and the Vice Chief of the Joint Staff, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. The event brought together high-level military leaders from across the Alliance, with a common objective of strengthen the collective warfighting capabilities of NATO. There CMC used the opportunity to discuss how the Alliance can shape its approach to deterrence, capability development, and interoperability. Ensuring that NATO and each of its Allied members remain prepared for any challenges that may arise.

Finally, while in Washington, Admiral Cavo Dragone paid respects at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery, a site that honours American service members who made the ultimate sacrifice. On behalf of the NATO Military Committee, he extended thanks to the United States for “enduring as a force for deterrence, defence and stability.”

Mr Merz visited NATO in his first week in office as German chancellor. Secretary General Rutte emphasised Germany’s central role in the Alliance. “Germany is a leading power in Europe. And you play a crucial role within NATO. Your contributions to our collective security are substantial.”

He commended Germany’s increased defence spending as we “build a stronger, fairer and more lethal NATO.” 

“We need to ensure our militaries have the capabilities they need to deter and defend – and keep our one billion people safe,” Mr Rutte said at a joint press conference.

Mr. Colomina hailed the continued development of NATO-Kuwait relations and highlighted the wide scope of activities carried out by the NATO-Istanbul Cooperation Initiative Regional Centre. “Kuwait was the first country to join the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative in 2004. Since then, it cooperates with NATO within this framework, which is based upon joint ownership, focuses on political dialogue and practical cooperation, and reflects the mutual interest of NATO and its partner countries in the Gulf region,” he said; adding that “together with high-visibility events, informal meetings and security ties developed with Gulf partners have enabled discussions on security-related issues of common interest, on the perceptions of NATO in the Gulf, as well as on ways to develop our partnership.”

The Special Representative also underscored that the “NATO-Istanbul Cooperation Initiative Centre – which was inaugurated in January 2017 – is an important regional hub for partnership and cooperation between NATO and the Gulf region, as it provides a forum to facilitate political dialogue among Allies and their partners from the Gulf region, with the aims of discussing global and security matters, identifying opportunities for cooperation and developing a common understanding of security challenges, and; in 2024, for example, the Centre conducted activities on various topics, such as food security, maritime security, and defence education.”

The visit provided an opportunity to take stock on the political dialogue and practical cooperation developed between NATO and Kuwait. “Kuwait and NATO participate in political consultations at various levels, with the aim of exchanging views on matters of shared interest in the Gulf region and the broader Middle East; Kuwait and NATO are also engaged in civil and military practical cooperation; for instance Kuwaiti civil and military personnel participate in many courses, trainings and activities offered by NATO to partners, in particular in the areas of civil emergency planning and disaster preparedness, non-proliferation and counter terrorism,” the Special Representative said.