Category: North Atlantic Treaty Organization

What is the difference between NATO members and partners? 
Why did Finland and Sweden set aside decades of neutrality and apply for NATO membership in 2022? 
What can Finland’s experience living next-door to Russia, and its 900,000-strong reserve forces, teach the rest of the Alliance?

In this episode, Sauli Niinistö, who served as President of Finland from 2012 to 2024, talks about Finland’s experience of military non-alignment for more than seven decades, including almost 30 years of NATO partnership. He walks listeners through Finland’s decision to apply for NATO membership alongside Sweden in 2022, and the process of transitioning from NATO partner to NATO member. He also speaks about his role as a Special Adviser to the European Union on strengthening Europe’s civil and military preparedness and readiness, and what Europe needs to do to boost its resilience against growing hybrid threats.

The podcast is available on YouTube, and on all major podcast platforms, including:

The Secretary General thanked Montenegro for promoting peace, stability and security in the Western Balkans and its contributions to NATO missions and operations. They discussed the importance of keeping NATO strong and stepping up support for Ukraine.

At their meeting on Wednesday, Allies considered a set of measures to counter Russia’s actions against NATO and individual Allies. Secretary General Mark Rutte said that “both Russia and China have tried to destabilise our countries and divide our societies with acts of sabotage, cyber-attacks, and energy blackmail”. He noted that Ministers agreed a set of measures to counter Russia’s hostile and cyber activities, including enhanced intelligence exchange, more exercises, better protection of critical infrastructure, improved cyber defence, and tougher action against Russia’s “shadow fleet” of oil exporting ships. He further stressed that NATO “will work closely together with the EU on these issues”. Mr. Rutte underscored that the increasing alignment of Russia, China, North Korea and Iran highlights the global nature of the threats we face, including the escalating dangers of the ongoing war in Ukraine. He noted that in return for troops and weapons, Russia is providing North Korea with support for its missile and nuclear programmes. “These developments could destabilise the Korean Peninsula and even threaten the United States. So Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine threatens us all”, he said.

During the two-day meeting NATO Allies also met with His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan to discuss the situation in the Middle East and the importance of NATO cooperating even more closely with its partners in the region. The Secretary General thanked the King of Jordan for his personal leadership and support to the Alliance and noted that NATO will open a Liaison Office in Amman soon to further deepen these ties.

NATO Ministers also met with Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, and with Kaja Kallas, the new EU High Representative, in the NATO-Ukraine Council. They discussed Ukraine’s most urgent needs, as well as what more Allies can do to provide critical ammunition and air defences, as Russia steps up its attacks and expands the war with the aid of North Korean troops and weapons. Mr Rutte noted that continued support for Ukraine is a priority, ensuring that, when the time comes, Ukraine can negotiate peace from a position of strength. He further highlighted how NATO is delivering on its commitments, including through a financial pledge and the new command in Wiesbaden, NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine. The Secretary General stressed that “we must do more than just keep Ukraine in the fight. We must provide enough support to change the trajectory of this conflict once and for all”.
 

Ministers also met in the NATO-Ukraine Council with Minister Andrii Sybiha of Ukraine and the new EU High Representative Kaja Kallas. Secretary General Rutte underscored how Ukraine has resisted Russian aggression, noting that the “situation on the battlefield is difficult, and we have to do everything we can to get more military aid into Ukraine”. He said that Putin “is pressing on, trying to take more territory. Because he thinks he can break Ukraine’s resolve and ours. But he is wrong”. Mr. Rutte condemned Russia’s recent launch of an experimental intermediate range ballistic missile and noted that deploying this capability “will neither change the course of the conflict nor deter NATO Allies from supporting Ukraine”. 

The Secretary General said that NATO Allies are stepping up with more military support for Ukraine, a new command to coordinate assistance and training, and a financial pledge of 40 billion euros as a minimum baseline for this year. He said that it is necessary now to make sure that military aid goes to Ukraine, so that if Ukraine decides to “enter into talks with the Russians one day, they will do this from a position of strength”.

On Wednesday, NATO Foreign Ministers will address Russia’s hostile actions in NATO countries, including acts of sabotage, cyber-attacks, and energy blackmail. In previewing the meeting during a press conference, the Secretary General said that “none of these actions will deter us from supporting Ukraine or making our own defences stronger”.

Media advisory

15:00 (CET) Remarks by the Secretary General and the President of Montenegro

Media coverage

• Media representatives with annual accreditation to NATO can attend the press conference in person.
   
• Media representatives without annual accreditation, who have registered for the Meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs and who have received confirmation of their successful accreditation, can also cover the remarks. Media accreditation for the Ministerial meeting is closed.

• The media wishing to cover the event should be in front of the Press Shop in NATO HQ at 14:30.
   
• The press statements will be streamed live on the NATO website and on X @NATOPress. A transcript of the Secretary General’s remarks, as well as photographs, will be on the NATO website.
   
• The video can be downloaded from the NATO Multimedia Portal after the event.

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The widespread use of Electromagnetic Warfare (EW) in Ukraine and in the Middle East demonstrates that it has become a crucial domain in modern warfare. EW tactics – consisting of radar systems attacks, jamming of communications and navigation systems, as well as electronic masking, probing, and intelligence gathering – have become pivotal at all levels of multidomain operations. NATO’s ability to counter the use of EW by adversaries is essential for security across the Alliance.

Speakers at the plenary meeting emphasised the importance of achieving electromagnetic superiority in modern warfare, and made proposals on the governing structure and doctrinal development of Electromagnetic Operations (EMO). Committee members shared their national perspectives and agreed to further develop these proposals. Discussions focused on the endorsement of a new mechanism for information exchange and reporting on EW among NATO Allies. Participants also shared lessons learnt from national and multinational exercises.

NEWAC is the principal forum for consultation and coordination of EW, providing critical advice and recommendations to the Military Committee. The bi-annual NEWAC Plenary meeting brings together military representatives from all 32 Allies, experts from Strategic Commands, and other NATO committees and entities. The next meetings are scheduled to be held in the United States and Türkiye.

Discussions centred on:

• security challenges in AU Peace Support Operations;
• NATO support to AU military standardization and lessons learned processes;
• capacity building, including education and training;
• disaster preparedness capacity in AUC;
• NATO-AU participation in each other’s exercises;
• and NATO support for the AUC development of policies.

The Director of NATO’s Cooperative Security Division of the IMS, Major General Dacian Tiberiu Șerban, officially opened the meeting and welcomed the Head of the African Union’s Political Affairs, Peace and Security Department, Peace Support Operations Division, Brigadier General Cheick Fanta Mady Dembele, and his staff to the Staff Talks. He emphasised that “in an increasingly complex global security landscape, marked by ongoing conflicts and crises, international cooperation is more crucial than ever”. Major General Serban also highlighted that “NATO-AU cooperation offers a unique opportunity to address these challenges through shared expertise and commitment to peace, security, and mutual prosperity”. The NATO Summit in Washington last July reaffirmed the importance of this partnership and endorsed an Action Plan to strengthen NATO engagement in the Southern Neighbourhood.

Brigadier General Dembele thanked NATO for the warm welcome and stressed the importance of recognising that no single crisis is confined to a single country. The General underlined that the current paradigm “African solutions to African problems” should be changed as they are “African solutions to peace and security challenges in Africa”.

The military talks began by discussing the progress achieved since the previous iteration in Addis Ababa at the AUC Headquarters in June 24. During this meeting, a strategic overview on AU Peace Support Operations and prospects for the implementation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2719 was provided by the AUC representatives. “NATO can share its expertise with the AUC to support operational and strategic levels planning of operations and the development of related policies to ensure the efficient use of resources and their effectiveness” said Major General Serban in his comments.

With regard to the ongoing Strategic Lift (STRATLIFT) support that NATO provides to the AU mission in Somalia, Major General Serban ensured that such support will likely continue even after the transition from the current mission (African Union Transition Mission to Somalia – ATMIS) to the new one (African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission to Somalia – AUSSOM), This is subject to a AUC dedicated request. “STRATLIFT support is a crucial component of the NATO-AU Partnership,” Major General Șerban added.

NATO IMS representatives delivered detailed presentations on NATO Lessons Learned and the NATO standardisation processes and International Staff Operation Division Representatives presented on the NATO Defence and Related Security Capacity Building Initiatives for the United Nations and Mauritania, illustrating mutual benefits and opportunities. All topics which captured the interest of the AUC delegation.

The ensuing discussion focussed on the role and activities of the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre and its support to NATO partners in building their capacity to deal and manage natural and man-made disasters. NATO and AUC representatives also discussed potential NATO support in providing capacity building through the NATO education and training network, including the NATO School Oberammergau and the Partnership Training and Education Centres. Mutual participation in NATO and AU exercises was also discussed as well as the possible provision of NATO Subject Matter Experts for the development of AU policies and concepts in different areas such as Counter Improvised Explosive Devices, Climate Change and Security, Counter Terrorism, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Operations, Human Security and others. Finally, a representative from the NATO Strategic Direction-South Hub underscored the importance of the Hub and how it can potentially support the AUC.

From the meeting, a list of concrete actions and decisions was drawn up. Closing the Staff Talks, Major General Șerban and Brigadier General Dembele jointly expressed their mutual gratitude for the insightful briefings and presentations at the Staff Talks. Major General Șerban committed to deepening NATO’s military partnership with the AUC. “By working together in a spirit of cooperation and mutual understanding, we can make a tangible difference in advancing peace, security, and stability,” he said. General Dembele expressed a similar sentiment, stating “this is an important milestone for the decisive enhancement of our cooperation”.

NATO’s relationship with the African Union began in 2005 and is based on parity, mutual respect and reciprocity. NATO remains committed to expanding its relationship with the African Union as part of NATO’s efforts to work more closely with Partners in tackling security challenges emanating from NATO’s Southern Neighbourhood.

The next military staff talks will be held in October 2025 at the AUC Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

“Russia’s aggression is not contained to Ukraine. China, Iran and North Korea’s destabilising actions have far-reaching implications. When aggressors are emboldened it threatens us all, no matter how large or small,” the Secretary General said. “There is strength in numbers and value in building on a strong foundation, which is why we must continue to invest in NATO. A transatlantic future is the only way to ensure our freedom and security,” he concluded.

The Forum was chaired by former UK Cabinet Secretary and National Security Advisor Lord Sedwill, and First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Ben Key. The event in London brings together senior leaders from the military, government, and academia to discuss a range of security challenges, this year highlighting the war against Ukraine, conflict in the Middle East, and security challenges in the Indo-Pacific.

Ambassadors met in the NATO-Ukraine Council (NUC) today (26 November 2024) to discuss the security situation in Ukraine following Russia’s launch of an experimental intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) last week. Senior Ukrainian military officials briefed the Council via video link.

During the meeting, NATO Allies reaffirmed their support for Ukraine. The attack, which targeted Dnipro, is seen as another attempt by Russia to terrorise the civilian population in Ukraine and intimidate those who support Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia’s illegal and unprovoked aggression. As earlier noted by the NATO Spokesperson, Farah Dakhlallah, “deploying this capability will neither change the course of the conflict nor deter NATO Allies from supporting Ukraine.”

The NATO-Ukraine Council provides a forum for consultation between Allies and Ukraine on security issues of common concern, including Russia’s war of aggression. The meeting was chaired by NATO’s acting Deputy Secretary General, Boris Ruge. The next meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council is due to take place during the meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers that will be held on 3-4 December.