Category: NATO

The Secretary General welcomed Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson to NATO Headquarters for a flag-raising ceremony to mark Sweden’s accession. Speaking ahead of the ceremony, the Secretary General thanked Prime Minister Kristersson for his strong personal leadership and commitment to leading Sweden into NATO. He said: “Sweden has taken its rightful place at NATO’s table under the shield of Article 5 protection – the ultimate guarantee of our freedom and security. All for one and one for all.”

Sweden’s flag was hoisted to join the flags of the other 31 Allies, as the Swedish national anthem and the NATO hymn were played. Flag-raising ceremonies took place simultaneously at Allied Command Operations (SHAPE) in Mons (Belgium) and Allied Command Transformation in Norfolk, Virginia (United States). Standing alongside Prime Minister Kristersson, the Secretary General said: “Sweden’s accession shows again that NATO’s door remains open. No one can close it. Every nation has the right to choose its own path, and we all choose the path of freedom and democracy.”

Noting that NATO will mark its 75th anniversary this year, Mr Stoltenberg underlined that the transatlantic bond between Europe and North America has ensured our freedom and security. Sweden will help to build an even stronger NATO at a critical time for Euro-Atlantic security, he said, adding that “joining NATO is good for Sweden, good for stability in the North, and good for the security of our whole Alliance.”

The Seminar is part of NATO’s broad undertakings to bolster resilience against all hazards to our countries and populations, through the implementation of the strengthened resilience commitment agreed by NATO leaders at the NATO Summit in Brussels in 2021. 
 
Charlotte Petri Gornitzka, Director-General of the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) hosting the Seminar, said:  “There is a clear need for the public and private sectors to work more closely together in trusted platforms, in order to enhance mutual understanding on needs and risks across vital sectors. These include energy, communications, food and water, transportation, health, population movements, and continuity of government services. This cooperation needs to be established in peacetime and we have no time to lose.”’
 
The Seminar brought together more than 320 government and private sector representatives from Allied countries, Ukraine and Switzerland, as well as representatives from the European Commission and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Lieutenant Colonel Lauranne’s journey to becoming a gender advisor

Lt Col Lauranne knew she wanted to join the military by the time she was six years old. Although she does not come from a military family, growing up in the region of Alsace-Lorraine, today part of the ‘Grand Est’ – an area in the east of France that remains marked by the First World War to this day – cemented her decision to serve her country and help protect its people from the horrors of conflict.

“I remember very well when my parents took us to visit the city of Verdun, the site of a major battle of the First World War, for the first time. Even now, I can recall the feelings that I had while visiting the war museum or looking at the monuments and immense cemeteries. We walked through the surrounding woods that are still marred by the bomb craters and, at that time, we could easily find rifle bullets, grenades or pieces of military equipment on the ground. After seeing all of that, a part of me started to realise that we must do everything we can to avoid war and that I should do my part too.”

However, Lt Col Lauranne’s path to the military was not straightforward. Two obstacles held her back, including problems with her eyesight, and the societal stigma that ‘the military is not for women’. “During my childhood, I wanted to be a fighter jet pilot. My ophthalmologist told me that would never happen because I don’t have perfect vision and because I am a girl,” she recalls. She conceded that due to her eyesight, she would have to give up on her initial childhood dream, but she was not ready to let go of her goal of joining the military. “Being told that I could not do what I wanted because of my gender gave me the will and strength not to accept it and to prove that I can do whatever I decide to do.”

Entering a military environment at the age of 17, Lt Col Lauranne eventually joined the French Army and held various posts in the Ordnance Corps, first as a repair platoon leader, then as a deputy officer and as a maintenance company commander. In 2019, during her deployment in the French contingent of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) she started working on civil-military cooperation to have closer contact with civilians, which led her to discover the needs of women and girls during conflict and in military operations, and her passion for gender perspectives. “After being nominated as a gender focal point, the gender unit there provided a one-day training session. It was enough to open my eyes and convince me of the importance of integrating gender perspectives, of implementing the Women, Peace and Security agenda and of preventing and responding to sexual violence in conflict,” explains Lt Col Lauranne. “From that moment, I realised that I wouldn’t be able to ignore what I had learnt; I wanted to know more and to act.”

A role model for the next generation

During her last deployment with UNIFIL in south Lebanon in 2019, Lt Col Lauranne decided to start a basic first aid training programme for women, enabling them to respond to various types of injuries and incidents that they and their families may encounter. “I really wanted to identify a skill that we could help to develop for women in the area, and which would be most useful and interesting for them,” says Lt Col Lauranne. “While analysing the environment, I noticed that although Lebanon generally has very good hospitals, the emergency services in the south were lacking resources and therefore were not quick to arrive in medical emergencies. In the military, we know that first aid is key to saving lives, so this is why I decided to launch this capacity-building programme for women.”

Too often, and in too many places, women face inequality and injustice.
Too often, and in too many places, women are the primary victims of armed conflict.

Today, I also pay special tribute to the brave women of Ukraine,
Who continue to fight for their families, their freedom, and their future.

As we mark International Women’s Day, we recommit ourselves to the Women, Peace and Security agenda.

We must continue to:
Empower women in security and defence;
Ensure equal opportunities for leadership;
And foster a more just and inclusive Alliance.

Drawing on the full potential of all our people, 
We will continue to make NATO stronger. 

Chair of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer

From the front lines to leadership positions, women within our armed forces contribute every day to NATO’s operational effectiveness.
Strengthening our capability to protect over 1 billion people.

Today, we acknowledge and express our gratitude to the women serving NATO’s missions and operations.
More and more women are choosing to join Allied Armed Forces, but the progress is not going fast enough.

Therefore, we must renew our commitment to recruit and retain more women in our armed forces and to mainstream gender equality into our operations.
This is not about being ‘woke’.

This is about making sure we use all the talent, courage and resilience that is out there. 
Our commitment is essential to fulfil our sacred task in protecting all we hold dear.

Special Representative for Women, Peace and Security, Irene Fellin

NATO’s role in promoting gender equality is not confined to policies and missions.
It is a collective effort that reflects who we are.

We are not just an Alliance of nations; we are a coalition of diverse voices, perspectives and experiences.
Together, we are stronger.

In the spirit of collaboration, NATO works closely with civil society organisations and the international community to advance the Women Peace and Security Agenda. 

This partnership amplifies our impact, bringing us closer to a world, where every woman is empowered to contribute, inspire and lead. 

Our actions today lay the groundwork for a more just and inclusive tomorrow, where women’s voices are heard and valued. 

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said: “This is a historic day. Sweden will now take its rightful place at NATO’s table, with an equal say in shaping NATO policies and decisions. After over 200 years of non-alignment Sweden now enjoys the protection granted under Article 5, the ultimate guarantee of Allies’ freedom and security. Sweden brings with it capable armed forces and a first-class defence industry.  Sweden’s accession makes NATO stronger, Sweden safer and the whole Alliance more secure. Today’s accession demonstrates that NATO’s door remains open and that every nation has the right to choose its own path.” 

Sweden’s flag will be raised alongside those of the other 31 Allies in a ceremony at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Monday (11 March 2024), and simultaneously at NATO commands across Europe and North America. 

A series of exercises are taking place under the umbrella of Steadfast Defender 24, which will include 90,000 troops in total from all NATO Allies and Sweden. Steadfast Defender 24 is based on NATO’s new defence plans, and demonstrates NATO’s ability to deploy forces rapidly from North America and other parts of the Alliance to reinforce the defence of Europe.

A number of high-ranking NATO officials participated in Monday and Tuesday’s media and distinguished visitors’ days, including Major General Cezary Miśniewski, Deputy General Commander of the Polish Armed Forces; Major General Randolph Staudenraus, Deputy Chief of Staff Operations at JFC Brunssum; Brigadier General Guy Foden, Commander of the NATO Very High Readiness Task Force (VJTF); Lieutenant General Piotr A. Błazeusz, First Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces; JFC Brunssum Commander General Guglielmo Luigi Miglietta and JFC Norfolk Commander Vice Admiral Douglas G. Perry.

“The airbase will serve as an important NATO air hub,” said Acting Spokesperson Dylan White. “The makeover of Kuçova airbase is a strategic investment and shows that NATO continues to strengthen its presence in the Western Balkans, an area of strategic importance to the Alliance.”

Monday’s formal opening was attended by the Albanian President, Bajram Begaj, the Prime Minister, Edi Rama, the President of the Assembly, Lindita Nikolla, the Minister of Defence Niko Peleshi and the Chief of Defence, Major General Arben Kingji. The Italian Minister of Defence Guido Crosetto, Turkish Lieutenant General, Göksel Kahya and other high ranking officials also spoke at the ceremony. From NATO’s side, the Commander of the Combined Air Operations Centre Torrejón, Lieutenant General Juan Pablo Sanchez De Lara and the General Manager of the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA), Stacy Cummings joined. After the speeches, aircraft from Allied Nations performed a flight show.

The Kuçova base is NATO’s biggest project in Albania in the last decade. Renovation work began with a ground-breaking ceremony in 2019 and includes upgrades and renovations to the control tower, runways, hangars and storage facilities. The works were funded by NATO’s Security Investment Programme (NSIP) which covers major defence construction projects in Allied countries.

What is a military ration?

Military rations, called MREs (Meals, Ready-to-Eat) in some countries, ORPs (Operational Ration Packs) or ‘one-person meals’ in others, are provisions supplied to soldiers in the field when they do not have regular access to food. Designed to provide much-needed nutrition and sustenance, the rations of each NATO country may differ in flavour, but they do share some similarities. Because soldiers have to carry their rations along with their other equipment, the packages are usually as lightweight and compact as possible, and are made of durable materials that can withstand challenging conditions. They have a long shelf life and can be adapted for different climates and temperatures to avoid spoiling.

NATO has developed its own standards and recommendations for rations, which are summarised in the NATO Standardization Agreement (STANAG) 2937. Troops should be able to prepare the rations simply, without additional tools, and should be able to eat them either hot or cold. Different tasks also require different calorie intakes. For regular missions such as peacekeeping, firefighting or construction work, the STANAG recommends 3,600 calories a day, whereas for combat operations or Special Forces missions, the recommendation increases to 4,900 calories.

Although military rations are not generally considered a gourmet experience, the STANAG suggests that they should provide varying and diverse menus to help avoid food fatigue during long deployments and to cater to different cultural and religious needs. Current rations usually have at least one vegetarian option, and several Allied militaries provide halal, kosher and Sikh/Hindu menus to accommodate their troops’ dietary preferences.

What’s cooking? A peek at Allied military rations

So what exactly can you find in the ration kits of different Allied troops when they are deployed or on exercises? Have a look at some examples of national military rations from different NATO countries to see what they have in common and how they differ. Can you spot some traditional national dishes?

Czechia

The Czech 24-hour ration pack consists of three meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner, and may also have a supplement pack with additional meals. Breakfast includes crispy corn crackers, pork meat in its juice, biscuits, chocolate, and an instant drink, plus coffee or tea. For lunch, Czech troops are supplied with a hot dish like pasta with turkey, spinach and garlic, vegetable mix salad, a dessert, chocolate, and instant drinks. Dinner might be smoked meat with pea porridge, instant soup, crackers, biscuits, and an isotonic drink.

Estonia

The Estonian 24-hour military ration pack, such as the one pictured above , comes with vanilla rice pudding, biscuits, pork spread and banana chips for breakfast and may include pasta carbonara, chicken pate or crispbread for lunch. The Estonian MRE also offers gluten-free dishes, for example, wilderness stew with beef and liver pâté. For the quick but nutritious snack on the go, it also contains an orange-almond bar, banana chips and salted nuts. Troops can drink coffee with caramel flavour, green tea and a raspberry energy drink for an energy boost. 

Germany

A typical German 24-hour ration pack contains two main courses, three snacks, muesli, a dessert and nine drinks. The two main courses can be eaten hot or cold. Examples include pork goulash with pasta or a stew casserole with black beans and cocktail sausages. Carbohydrate-rich snacks include cranberry energy bars, pork jerky or dried fruit mix. Rations include rye bread with a spread, such as beef pâté, tuna spread, cherry jam and a dessert in the form of chocolate or chocolate cookies. Troops also have nine different types of drinks available, including instant coffee, tea or instant bouillon.

Greece

The Greek 24-hour ration pack has several variants. For breakfast, troops get crackers, honey or a sesame bar. For lunch and dinner, the ration includes several dishes – pork meat in tomato sauce, beef with beans and traditional stuffed grape leaves, accompanied by black tea.

The Netherlands

The Dutch 24-hour military ration pack comes in several variants, such as halal, kosher or vegetarian. The basic pack includes meal modules, which can be rice pudding with cinnamon and muesli popcorn for breakfast and chicken masala with rice or hot chicken for lunch and dinner. For quick fuel, there are snacks like peanuts, biscuits, beef jerky, chocolate bars, hot chocolate or protein drinks.

Poland

The Polish 24-hour ration pack above consists of breakfast, lunch, dinner and additional snacks. For breakfast, troops get bacon, crispbread and blackcurrant jam. For lunch, there is a main dish, such as chicken goulash stew, crispbread with honey and canned meat, and as an evening meal, troops get meatballs in vegetable sauce and dried fruit. In the additional snacks, Polish soldiers can find fruit and cereal bars, dark chocolate, coffee candy, hot chocolate, coffee or tea.

Portugal

For Portuguese troops, the pictured 24-hour military ration pack includes a breakfast of sweet crackers, fruit jam and instant coffee; a protein-rich lunch of beans with sausage, tuna in oil, and fruit paste; and a dinner of beef with vegetables and sardines in oil. To complement these main dishes, the ration also contains salted crackers, chocolate, fruit juice, candy, a fig and almond energy bar, and an isotonic drink.

Romania

A Romanian combat ration has several variants. The one pictured above  is a menu that contains creamy pasta with chicken, pepper steak pasta and biryani chicken as main dishes, alongside other food such as biscuits, nut butter, granola mix, crackers with humus or fruit cubes. To drink, Romanian troops may have coffee, hot chocolate or isotonic drinks.

United Kingdom

The UK’s 24-hour operational ration pack is available in 10 different menus, including vegetarian, halal, kosher and Sikh/Hindu versions. The vegetarian one pictured above  contains mac & cheese, vegetable korma with rice and frittata. The main dishes are supplemented by mini cookies, orange flavour cake, nuts and oat biscuits for quick energy. The MRE also offers several drinks such as tea, hot chocolate or flavoured energy drinks. In the UK, the inclusion of new dishes to the menu entails a rigorous process of testing shelf life, safety and nutrition, as well as a taste test by the Food Tasting Panel, which is made up of representatives from the British Armed Forces who blindly evaluate ration samples and score them on smell, flavour, mouth-feel and overall satisfaction.

Which Ally’s ration kit would you want to try? Watch the video below to find out how soldiers from different NATO countries reacted when they tried each other’s rations! 

Mr Geoană stressed the importance of increasing defence investment in order to deter aggression, prevent conflict and preserve peace. He underlined that the cost of supporting Ukraine now, which has entered its third year of fighting against Russia’s full-scale invasion, is less than the cost of defending our security if President Putin wins.

The Deputy Secretary General also said that faced with growing strategic competition, NATO has been stepping up innovation in new technologies such as AI, hypersonics and space,  and making sure that technological advances are achieved in a responsible way and in full respect of democratic values and international law.

Mr Geoană also explained that cooperation with industry, as well as with the EU and like-minded partners from the Indo-Pacific and NATO’s southern neighbourhood was vital to enhance our collective defence and resilience. With Sweden’s imminent accession and NATO’s 75th anniversary this year, the Alliance is stronger than ever he concluded.

During his trip to Toulouse, Mr Geoană also visited Airbus, where he met with space and defence representatives.