NATO's Parlamentariske Forsamling 2020-21
NPA Alm.del Bilag 12
Offentligt
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NATO DEFENCE
MINISTERS’ MEETING,
17-18 February 2021
Policy Brief
039 SPE 21 E | Original: English | February 2021
This Policy Brief is presented for information only and does not
represent the official view of the Assembly.
 NPA, Alm.del - 2020-21 - Bilag 12: NATO Defence Ministers' Meeting February 2021- Policy Brief
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039 SPE 21 E
NATO DEFENCE
MINISTERS’ MEETING,
17-18 FEBRUARY 2021:
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Agenda
•
Initial NATO2030 proposals by the NATO Secretary General
•
Deterrence and Defence and burden-sharing
•
NATO's mission in Afghanistan
•
NATO's mission in Iraq
Decision
•
Ministers decided to expand NATO’s training mission in Iraq
from 500 personnel to around
4,000.
•
Ministers deferred a decision on
NATO’s presence in Afghanistan.
Additional notes
•
First ministerial meeting with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd James Austin III
•
Ahead of the meeting, Allied Ground Surveillance (AGS) achieved initial operating capability.
Partner participation
•
Separate session on trans-Atlanticism, NATO-EU relations, resilience and emerging and
disruptive technologies
with partner countries Finland & Sweden and the European Union’s High
Representative/Vice-President
I.
INITIAL NATO2030 PROPOSALS BY THE NATO SECRETARY GENERAL
DISCUSSIONS
•
Ministers held initial discussions on a set of proposals under the NATO 2030 initiative.
NATO 2030 PROPOSALS PREVIEWED
•
The NATO Secretary General for the first time previewed
concrete proposals centred on 8 themes:
1.
o
Increasing
NATO’s funding for deterrence and defence activities
The NATO Secretary General proposes to
use NATO common funding to contribute to
covering costs
when Allies deploy troops for defence and deterrence activities (e.g., for NATO
forward presence, air policing, maritime deployments and exercises). Currently, deploying
countries cover all associated costs.
He argues this would demonstrate the strength of NATO’s
commitment to Article 5;
contribute
to
fairer burden-sharing;
enhance
cohesion and political unity;
and
incentivise Allies to
provide more of these capabilities.
Enhancing Allied resilience
The NATO Secretary General proposes to a) adopt
clearer and more measurable national
resilience targets
to ensure a minimum resilience standard and b) to conduct
annual reviews
of vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure and technologies,
including those stemming from
foreign ownership and influence.
Preserving
NATO’s technological edge
The NATO Secretary General proposes to launch a
NATO defence innovation initiative
to
promote interoperability and set NATO standards and boost transatlantic cooperation on
defence innovation.
1
o
2.
o
3.
o
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039 SPE 21 E
o
The initiative should spur Allies and NATO to
continue investing in disruptive and emerging
technologies; prevent a technological gap between Allies; develop guideline standards
on ethical aspects;
and
further help start-ups and work with the private sector.
Increasing political coordination
The NATO Secretary General proposes ways to
increase political coordination between
Allies.
He recommends having
more consultations on more issues,
including economic
matters related to security, and organise
innovative meetings,
including with national security
advisors or ministers for interior.
He argues the necessary
procedures are already in place,
but
Allies must demonstrate
more political will
to use them.
Cooperating with like-minded partners
The NATO Secretary General proposes
a more global approach to deal with global
challenges,
in particular to counter China’s and Russia’ authoritarian pushback against
the
rules-based international order.
He proposes
enhancing political dialogue and practical cooperation with like-minded
partners
to promote Alliance values and protect its interests.
Strengthening training and capacity building for partners
The NATO Secretary General proposes
strengthening training and capacity building for
partner countries in NATO’s neighbourhood
“because
prevention is better than intervention”.
Adapting to climate change
The NATO Secretary General proposes that NATO addresses the
security implications of
climate change
as “a serious crisis multiplier”.
NATO should set the
‘gold
standard’ on
reducing vulnerabilities and emissions from the
military sector
and
contribute to the goal of net zero carbon emissions,
including through
annual assessments of climate change impacts on troops and deployments.
Updating
NATO’s Strategic Concept
The NATO Secretary General proposes to
update NATO’s Strategic Concept
to jointly
address a changing strategic environment,
to recommit to Alliance values and to reinforce
the transatlantic bond.
The NATO Secretary General noted that
the security environment has fundamentally
changed,
pointing to the facts that the current 2010 Strategic Concept does not address the
shifting balance of power and the security consequences of the rise of China, hardly mentions
climate change, and was written before
Russia’s
further aggressive actions against its
neighbours, including the illegal annexation of Crimea.
4.
o
o
5.
o
o
6.
o
7.
o
o
8.
o
o
BACKGROUND
•
In 2021, NATO will hold a Summit in Brussels
(dates to be determined).
•
The NATO Secretary General will propose
an ambitious agenda for transatlantic security and
defence,
based upon his NATO 2030 initiative. The Summit
“will
be a unique opportunity to start
a
new chapter for transatlantic relations”.
•
The
NATO PA
has been closely associated with the NATO 2030 reflection process and submitted its
recommendations
in
Declaration 460
adopted in November 2020. These included several of the
same points highlighted by the NATO Secretary General at the Defence Ministerial as well as other
forward-looking proposals, e.g. on concrete ways to rededicate Allies to
NATO’s democratic
foundations.
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039 SPE 21 E
II.
DETERRENCE AND DEFENCE AND BURDEN-SHARING
DISCUSSIONS
•
Ministers reviewed progress toward strengthening deterrence and defence and toward fairer
burden-sharing.
KEY POINTS
•
2021 will be the
7
th
consecutive year of increased defence spending.
•
Since 2014, European Allies and Canada have contributed
a cumulative extra of USD 190 billion.
•
9 Allies
are expected to spend
2 % of GDP on defence.
•
24 Allies
are expected to spend at least
20 % of investment in equipment.
III.
NATO'S MISSION IN AFGHANISTAN
DISCUSSIONS
•
Minister discussed the situation in Afghanistan
but made
no final decision on the future of the
international troop presence in Afghanistan.
•
Allies will continue to assess together the conditions on the ground and closely consult and
coordinate in the coming weeks
–
with the option of convening a short-notice online ministerial
meeting if need be.
•
The immediate focus should be on the
peace process.
Allies believe that there is still time to reach a
political agreement to see progress before the 1 May deadline set in the US-Taliban agreement.
KEY MESSAGES
•
As a key contribution to the fight against international terrorism, Allies and NATO remain
committed
to the 10,000-strong Resolute Support mission,
with training and funding for the Afghan national
security forces secured until 2024.
•
Allies want to ensure Afghanistan
never again serves as a haven for terrorists
to attack the
Alliance and avoid jeopardising the
significant social and economic progress in Afghanistan.
•
Allies
strongly support the Afghan-owned, Afghan-led peace process,
including through previous
significant troop reductions, as the best chance to end years of suffering and violence and bring a
lasting political solution and peace.
•
Peace talks are fragile, and progress is slow.
All sides must seize this historic opportunity for a
peaceful settlement and re-energise the peace process.
•
The US-Taliban agreement foresees a withdrawal of all international troops by 1 May 2021.
Under the agreement, the Taliban must negotiate in good faith, reduce the high level of violence and
live up to their commitment to stop cooperating with international terrorist groups. However, the
level
of violence remains unacceptably high, including through Taliban attacks on civilians. The
Taliban must also
“do
more when it comes to delivering on [...] the commitment to break ties,
to not provide any support for terrorist organisations that can plan, organise, attacks against
us”.
•
Allied presence remains conditions based.
No Ally wants to stay in Afghanistan longer than
necessary, but NATO will not leave before the time is right.
•
The protection of Allied troops remains paramount,
and Allies will take
all necessary measures
to keep them safe.
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039 SPE 21 E
IV.
NATO'S MISSION IN IRAQ
DECISION
•
Ministers decided to expand NATO’s training mission in Iraq.
KEY POINTS
•
The training mission is another
key contribution to the fight against international terrorism,
as
NATO support the Iraqi forces in their fight against terrorism and ensure Daesh does not return.
•
Allies will incrementally increase troop numbers from 500 personnel to around 4,000.
•
Training activities will now include
more Iraqi security institutions
and
areas beyond Baghdad.
•
Allied presence is
conditions-based.
•
The NATO mission is
at the explicit request of the Iraqi government, carried out with full
respect for Iraq’s sovereignty and territorial integrity
and
closely coordinated with the Global
Coalition.
ADDITIONAL NOTE
•
The NATO Secretary General condemned the rocket attack against coalition forces in Erbil and noted
several Allies will support an investigation. He also condemned the killing of Turkish citizens in a
separate attack in northern Iraq. Ministers expressed their solidarity with Turkey.
V.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
NATO SECRETARY GENERAL ON THE NEW US ADMINISTRATION
•
This was the
first NATO ministerial meeting with the new Biden administration,
represented by
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd James Austin III.
•
The NATO Secretary General underlined the new Biden administration is
“strongly
committed to
the transatlantic bond, to NATO, to Europe and North America working together.”
•
The NATO Secretary General has already had two remote conversations with President Biden since
the elections, where
President Biden
“has
been very strong, very clear on the importance of
rebuilding alliances and further strengthening NATO.”
•
This message was echoed in remote conversations with Secretary Austin and Secretary of State
Antony J. Blinken, the NATO Secretary General noted.
ALLIED GROUND SURVEILLANCE
•
Two days before the meeting, the NATO-owned and operated
Allied Ground Surveillance (AGS)
achieved initial operating capability,
providing world-class
intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance
from their base at Sigonella, Italy.
•
The AGS remotely piloted aircraft can
cover the whole Euro-Atlantic area.
•
Two regions can be monitored around the clock.
•
Allies will determine AGS missions,
but most flights are expected
to be along the Alliance’s
eastern and southern borders.
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