Category: NATO

Subject matter expertise was provided by Major Laura Abbott (PhD candidate, John Hopkins University), Ms Assal Mahmoud, Programme Associate for WPS at the Cairo International Centre for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding (CCCPA), and Colonel Bertrand Peytavin, Action Officer for the South Section, Cooperative Security Division at NATO.

Gender Perspective in the Military: Lessons from Jordan

Major Abbott opened the session by cautioning against treating MENA as a monolithic region. She emphasised the importance of assessing each context on a case-by-case basis, due to the many underlying differences in characteristics such as language, religion, regime type, and post-colonial history. She introduced the Georgetown WPS Index to show how MENA countries rank on women’s inclusion in comparison to the rest of the world. Major Abbott explained the phenomenon come to be known as the ‘MENA Paradox’, whereby despite rapidly rising female educational attainment and the closing if not reversal of the gender gap in education in MENA countries, female workforce participation rates remain low and stagnant – with female youth unemployment at 31.6% compared to 18% for men. This paradox has prompted various MENA militaries to consider greater recruitment of women for officer and non-commissioned officer posts. 

Major Abbott further discussed the visibility of women in MENA militaries, underlining that, while remaining the minority, gradual progress is detectable – mostly driven by the growing spectrum of needs in the military, such as counterterrorism and intelligence. Jordan has made concerted efforts and progress in increasing the number of women serving in their armed forces. National reputation and leadership are also important in supporting this shift since they serve as change agents and role models.

Major Abbott noted that greater female engagement enables the military to operate more effectively within its cultural context, particularly in counterterrorism, border security, military intelligence, peacekeeping missions, response to humanitarian crises, and military policing. In addition, it broadens the diversity of thought, which results in the incorporation of fresh ideas, improved safety for all social groups, and overall better policy, each of which contribute to increased military legitimacy. She examined how the military can assist supporting the WPS agenda, including women’s participation in peacekeeping, the prevention of conflict-related sexual violence, and the protection of women and girls in armed conflict.

Women serving in the military in MENA countries however still face significant cultural barriers, admitted Major Abbott. By referencing the Georgetown WPS Index to show public opinion in the region concerning women’s workforce inclusion, she showed that a significant portion of the population do not support women from their family seeking outside employment. In Iraq, 53% of those polled objected, compared to 18% in the United Arab Emirates. Concluding her intervention, Major Abbott emphasised the power of National Action Plans to effect systemic change moving forward. This must however come in parallel with improved self-reflection, modelling, meaningful participation, ideas exchange, and talent management, she stressed – clarifying how an increase in the number of women in the military does not necessarily guarantee gender equality nor inclusion.

Gender Perspective in Peacekeeping: Lessons from Egypt

Speaking next, Ms. Mahmoud offered an outline of the major global changes raising questions regarding the application of the Gender Perspective. For instance, a crisis in trust has resulted in the global retreat of and existential threats to peacekeeping. In this context, the Gender Perspective can help to re-establish trust by strengthening the accountability and legitimacy of peacekeeping missions, allowing them to better meet the needs of their diverse constituents. She noted that this is especially important for MENA peacekeeping missions, because the region’s peace and security challenges are highly gendered. This holds especially true when looking at terrorism trends and experiences of forced displacement in the region.

Given these challenges, Ms. Mahmoud advocated for WPS agenda to be at the centre of peace and security interventions. The Gender Perspective is key for constructing inclusive, context-specific, and sustainable responses. Ms. Mahmoud also highlighted how CCCPA contributes to this effort by building the capacities of key stakeholders to incorporate the Gender Perspective into peace and security programming. She noted Egypt as an example of how gender modules in pre-deployment trainings has enabled personnel to improve their cultural sensitivity and respond to the differentiated needs on the ground, crucially supporting the mission in fulfilling its protection of civilians mandate.

The increase in female participation in Egyptian peacekeeping missions also reflects an ongoing shift in public understanding of the value of women’s engagement within peace processes. In September 2022, CCCPA trained the first batch of Egyptian female military contingents to be deployed in UN peacekeeping operations. It provided female peacekeepers with the opportunity to take on a wider range of roles, marking a milestone in Egypt’s contribution to peacekeeping and its overall efforts to advance the Women, Peace, and Security agenda. Ms. Mahmoud concluded her remarks by emphasising how these experiences demonstrate that WPS and inclusive peace and security interventions are mutually reinforcing.

NATO’s Partnership Tools and the Gender Perspective

Taking the floor last, Colonel Peytavin discussed NATO’s approach to practical cooperation and partnerships in the MENA region and highlighted how NATO concretely strives to integrate the Gender Perspective into these partnerships. Describing the various cooperation methods and procedures used by the Alliance to develop its relationship with partners in the region, he emphasised interoperability, capability development, and support for defence and security-related reforms. This includes the use of partnership guidance frameworks that translate broad policy into more detailed cooperation objectives. The creation of tailored frameworks for each individual partner relies on NATO’s recognition that specific partnership objectives are needed to aptly address context-specific needs. Several partners in the MENA region have integrated the Gender Perspective in their NATO partnership framework and in 2022, four MENA countries participated in nine gender-related events.

Colonel Peytavin closed his remarks by emphasising that gender may still be regarded as a non-military matter to some of NATO partners. Therefore, it is NATO’s responsibility to advise them on incorporating the gender perspective into all aspects of cooperation, wherever applicable. In other words, the gender perspective should be part of a cross-cutting interoperability enabler as well as a single area of cooperation.

A Q&A discussion brought the Deep Dive session to closure. The first question addressed how to better encourage women to pursue careers in the military domain. The speakers highlighted the importance of mentorship, modelling, education, and skills training – including, in particular, language learning. They also noted how fostering greater awareness about these opportunities amongst women in the first place is another major point. One final question centred on what more NATO can do to further advance the WPS agenda in the MENA region. The speakers pointed to a critical need for capacity building on the WPS agenda as a whole as well as on the ways it can be integrated into peace and security planning and implementation. NATO can provide unique assistance by investing in capacity building customised to different national contexts and their implementation capabilities.

Significant progress has been made towards the WPS agenda in the MENA region, with Jordan and Egypt demonstrating increased female recruitment as well as incorporation of the Gender Perspective throughout different areas of the military. At the same time, however, barriers remain, and the region continues to face gendered peace and security challenges. Integrating the Gender Perspective can improve NATO’s understanding of, and response to, the  persistent and volatile strategic challenges affecting the Middle East and North Africa, including by informing better-tailored capacity building initiatives and increased knowledge sharing  with partners.

Opening the NATO Military Committee Conference, alongside the Norwegian Minister of Defence, Mr Bjørn Arild Gram and Norwegian Chief of Defence, General Eirik Kristoffersen, Admiral Bauer thanked the hosts for their warm welcome and hostility. He then proceeded to provide an overview of the day’s agenda, which focussed mainly on the executability of the DDA family of plans: “The plans that Allies agreed in Vilnius will impact the development of all our armed forces for decades to come. We are taking bold steps to further strengthen our deterrence and defence posture. Never before have NATO and national defence plans been so closely interlinked”, he noted. When addressing the Regional Plans, he added, “they are underpinned by objective, threat-based Force Structure Requirements, which detail precisely which assets or capabilities are required in a crisis or conflict scenario. Needless to say, these plans and requirements are living documents. They will be updated as the threats that face us develop”.

The Chiefs of Defence discussed how these plans would feed into existing processes. “To turn these plans into action, we will need more troops at higher readiness; capability building and development; adapt the NATO’s command and control structures; more enablement, which includes logistics, host nation support, maintenance, military mobility, and replenishment and prepositioning of stocks; and crucially, it involves more collective defence exercise and training”, underscored the Chair in his opening remarks. This is part of NATO’s evolution from an Alliance optimised for out-of-area contingency operations to an Alliance fit for the purpose of large-scale operations to defend every inch of allied territory.

The military leaders paid tribute to their brothers and sisters in uniform: those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice and to those still suffering from the mental or physical effects of their deployment. 

“Once Sweden joins, we will have a band of 3.5 million brothers and sisters in uniform who protect our great Alliance. They see together what they cannot see alone. They do together what they cannot do alone. The military profession brings immense opportunities. But it also requires immense sacrifices”, emphasised Admiral Bauer, before inviting all Chiefs of Defence to stand for a moment of silence.

The Chiefs of Defence also focused their attention on the future and NATO’s longer-term posture. The Chiefs of Defence expressed concerns about the shortages in production capacity that cause delivery times and prices for equipment and ammunition to go up. “Right now, we are paying more and more for exactly the same… and that means that we cannot make sure that the increased defence spending actually leads to more security. Our liberal economies are not apt at creating the prioritisation that is so desperately needed right now. Long term stability needs to prevail over short term profits”, stressed Admiral Bauer in his press remarks.

During the conference, the NATO Chiefs of Defence decided to extend Admiral Bauer as Chair of the NATO Military Committee for an additional 6 months and elected the Italian Chief of Defence, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone to be his successor for 2,5 years.   

This decision was taken during the Military Committee Conference in Oslo. The NATO Chiefs of Defence cited the need for continuity of leadership in a volatile security climate and amidst the largest reinforcement of the Alliance’s collective defence since the Cold War. The decision will also allow Admiral Dragone to serve out his term as Italian Chief of Defence until November 2024.

Reacting to the election result, Admiral Bauer stated: “I am honoured and humbled by the continued trust that the Allied Chiefs of Defence have placed in me. I will do my utmost to keep unifying north, south, east, west, large and small within our Alliance. And to actively reach out to NATO’s Partners around the world. Always building on the fundamental belief that there is so much more that unites us, than what divides us. And that we are truly stronger together.”

Admiral Dragone stated: “Also on behalf of Italy, I am deeply honoured to receive this prestigious assignment which I will carry out with an unreserved commitment to the success of the Atlantic Alliance and the affirmation of its founding values, freedom and democracy. NATO will be able to offer its full support to Ukraine and the challenges that are looming on an international scale. I take this opportunity to thank Admiral Bauer for the extraordinary work he has been doing and which will inspire me.“

The Chair of the NATO Military Committee represents the consensus-based views of all NATO Chiefs of Defence (CHODs) as the principal military adviser to the Secretary General, the North Atlantic Council and other senior NATO bodies. In his capacity, he guides the Military Committee’s agenda and deliberations, listening to views and working to reconcile divergent national positions or policy differences to fashion advice that all can agree to.

On Tuesday 19 September, the Secretary General will participate in the opening of the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. He will also have meetings with world leaders and high-level officials

On Thursday 21 September, the Secretary General will participate in a discussion at the Council on Foreign Relations. He will also attend the Transatlantic Dinner hosted by the Secretary of State of the United States, Mr. Antony J. Blinken.

Media coverage

• A transcript of the Secretary General’s remarks at the Council on Foreign Relations, as well as photographs, will be available on the NATO website.

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Organised to coincide with the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) trade exhibition, COMEDS’ delegates toured the exhibition and met with leading medical industry representatives on disruptive and digital technologies. Throughout the three-day plenary, delegates from Australia, Austria, Israel, Switzerland, New Zealand, Serbia, Ukraine and Invitee Sweden attended different sessions in person or via Video Teleconference.

The COMEDS Chair, Major General Tim Hodgetts, the United Kingdom’s Surgeon General, opened the official plenary session by welcoming participants from Allied Nations, partner organisations and countries as well as NATO representatives. In his opening remarks, the Chair stressed the committee’s mission to ensure that NATO’s Deterrence and Defence is underpinned by effective medical support and enablement. Major General Hodgetts then highlighted the four domains of particular interest to COMEDs following NATO’s Vilnius Summit: 

1. medical capabilities support to the Regional Plans and warfighting at scale, 
2. technological investment specifically digital transformation,
3. Global Partnerships and interoperability,
4. and Strengthened societal resilience. 

“As NATO moves forward translating these commitments into actions and activities, COMEDs needs to increase its support to both civilian and military entities across the organisation,” said Major General Hodgetts.

Delivering his keynote speech, Mr. Angus Lapsley, ASG DPP explained the role of the Defence Policy and Planning Division, NATO’s Defence Planning Process, and the significant impact of the Regional Plans for the military medical domain. Commending the COMEDS work, the Assistant Secretary General said: “You are playing an important role in positioning your community to strengthen medical planning and policy at the NATO level, raising awareness and providing advice on critical capability shortfalls, working hard to strengthen civil-military medical cooperation”. 

Admiral Sir Keith Blount, DSACEUR focused his keynote remarks on the medical challenges facing Allied forces in the event of Large Scale Combat Operations (LSCO), in light of Russia’s war against Ukraine and the challenging global security environment. DSACEUR further stressed the importance of the COMEDS Surgeon Generals engaging at the national level as the Regional Plans and tactical plans are further refined and developed. 

The extraction of medical lessons from the Ukraine war is underpinning COMEDS ongoing work regarding medical capabilities and requirements for warfighting at scale. Briefing the Committee, Major General Tetiana Ostashchenko, Ukraine’s Surgeon General, explained the current situation in Ukraine and stressed the importance of continued support from Allies and partners. The Ukrainian Surgeon General went on to highlight the importance of NATO –Ukraine Comprehensive Assistance Package for the development of Ukrainian rehabilitation services, especially regarding a substantive project that will be decisive in returning injured Service Personnel back to active duty. 

The COMEDS plenary saw sessions focused on medical support for Ukraine, the implementation of the Concept for the Deterrence and Defence of the Euro-Atlantic Area (DDA), Patient Flow Management guidance, Global Partnership, and Strengthened Resilience through civil-military collaboration. In addition, progress reports from selected COMEDS Working Groups and Panels were briefed to the plenary. The Chair remarked that many current work strands from the Blood Panel to the Military Mental Health panel were now at a level that required cooperation and support from external stakeholders such as the Joint Health Group, the European Union Military Staff, and the NATO Command Structure. 

Concluding the plenary, COMEDS delegates took advantage of the DSEI trade exhibition, to engage with Industry Partners and to participate in a planned DISruptive TECHnology discovery trail with subject matter experts and medical industry partners. “Interoperability and multi-nationality in medical provision assures common and best standards as well as buys out mutual risks of capability shortfalls”, stressed Major General Hodgetts. 
 

After being welcomed to Ørland by the Chief of Defence, General Eirik Kristoffersen and the Chief of the Air Force, Major General Rolf Folland, Admiral Bauer received a tour of the air base, which houses Norway’s F-35A and the Air Defence Battalion, as well search and rescue helicopters that operate all along the Norwegian coast and beyond.  Ørland is also the only air base in Scandinavia equipped to host NATO’s AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) aircraft, who use it when patrolling in the area. During his visit, the Chair was briefed on Norway’s approach to Nordic air defence, which entails an even closer cooperation with Finland, Sweden and Denmark and by reinforcing its air capabilities and plans. 

Arriving at the Akershus Fortress, the Chair joined General Kristoffersen for the traditional honour guard, led by His Majesty The King’s Guard, who have been protecting the Norwegian Royal Family since 1856. Admiral Bauer subsequently met with Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mrs Anniken Huitfeldt. The exchanges focused on the outcomes of the NATO Summit in Vilnius, the implications for Nations and the military, as well as the agenda for the impending NATO Military Committee Conference.

In his meeting with the Defence Minister Bjørn Arild Gram, Admiral Bauer spoke about the Regional Plans and their importance to NATO’s collective defence. “The plans agreed in Vilnius Plans will impact the development of all our armed forces for decades to come. Never before have NATO and national defence plans been so closely interlinked. We are taking bold steps to further strengthen our deterrence and defence posture but a strong collective defence must be underpinned by even stronger national defence”, underscored the Chair.

The official programme concluded with an audience with the HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, at the Royal Palace in Oslo. Discussions centered on the importance of fostering leadership in younger generations, the role defence industry has to play, not only in helping the Armed Forces become greener, but ensuring that production demands can be fulfilled in a timely manner, with minimal impact on national security and defence. 

During his visit, the Deputy Secretary General met the Moldovan President Maia Sandu, Prime Minister Dorin Recean, and President of the Parliament Igor Grosu. Mr Geoană also met with senior military officials and will engage with students and civil society representatives.

In his meeting with President Sandu, Mr Geoană reaffirmed NATO’s commitment to continue strengthening political and practical support to Moldova. Moldova’s cooperation with NATO enhances its resilience and security, and will help Moldova on its path to EU membership, Mr Geoană said.

In a joint press conference with Prime Minister Recean, the Deputy Secretary General highlighted the long-standing cooperation between NATO and Moldova, in full respect for its constitutional neutrality. He thanked Moldova for its continued support to regional stability through its contribution to NATO’s peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, and for the assistance it has provided to the Ukrainian people since the beginning of Russia’s illegal war. Mr Geoană also praised Moldova for its efforts towards European Union integration.

Mr Geoană welcomed Prime Minister Recean’s goal to enhance the interoperability of the Moldovan armed forces with NATO. He reiterated NATO’s full support for Moldova’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, calling on Russia to withdraw its forces stationed in the Transnistrian region without Moldova’s consent.

At the Vilnius Summit, NATO Allies reconfirmed their commitment to stepping up political and practical support to Moldova. This includes a substantial package of support to help strengthen Moldova’s cyber defences, strategic communications, and training and logistics.

The mission was the first time a NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance Force (NAGSF) RQ-4D drone flew over Finland. This mission came as NATO Air Forces continue to step up their reconnaissance missions on the Alliance’s eastern borders in the wake of Russia’s full-fledged war against Ukraine. Since 2022, NATO’s fleet of Alliance Ground Surveillance drones has conducted multiple missions on the Alliance’s eastern flank, predominantly in the Black Sea region. The flight on September 13 also helped NAGSF operators to familiarise themselves with the new terrain.

Nicknamed “Phoenix”, the RQ-4D remotely piloted aircraft are among the world’s most advanced drones, providing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance over a wide area. The NATO-owned and operated aircraft are based in Sigonella, Italy and can stay in the air for more than 30 hours at a time. Surveillance and reconnaissance data collected by the aircraft and analysed by NAGSF experts are made available to all Allies to inform Alliance decision-making processes.

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He will also meet with the Chief of the National Army General Staff, Commander of the National Army, Brigadier General, Eduard Ohladciuc and State Secretaries of the Ministry of Defence Mr Valeriu Mija and Mr Sergiu Plop.  

Mr Geoană will also engage with students and representatives of civil society.
 

Media advisory

14 September 2023, 12:35 (local time EEST)        Joint press statements with Prime Minister Dorin Recean

The joint press statements will be streamed live on the Facebook Page of the Government of the Republic of Moldova.

Photographs of Mr Geoană’s engagements will be available on the NATO website.

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