NATO Defence Ministers convened in Brussels on 14 and 15 June at the Alliance’s Headquarters on the occasion of a very important Ministers’ Meeting in the run-up to the Warsaw Summit. The Italian Minister of Defence Roberta Pinotti and Ambassador Claudio Bisogniero took part in the event.
During the first day, Allies agreed to deploy four multilateral battalions on the eastern flank of the Alliance in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland in order to enhance deterrence and defence capabilities. Furthermore, it was agreed to increase pre-positioning of equipment and supplies in the Black Sea region.
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the increase in defence spending by European Allies and Canada in 2015 (+0,6%): it is the first positive trend after many years of cuts in military budget, and estimates for 2016 are even brighter.
Defence Ministers also discussed freedom of movement of NATO forces in Europe, stressing the importance of moving troops swiftly and without hurdles. “For exercises in peacetime, for reinforcements in an emerging crisis, time is of the essence”, said the Secretary General.
In addition, Ministers agreed to recognise cyberspace as an operational domain of NATO. In this respect, a formal decision will be adopted at the Warsaw Summit.
During the second day, discussions focused on the support to Ukraine, reiterated by all Allies. The situation in the eastern part of the country is still worrying, and Ministers therefore agreed on a Comprehensive Package of Assistance aimed at reinforcing Ukraine’s defence and security structures.
Further, the Alliance agreed to step up efforts to project stability beyond its borders. At the Warsaw Summit, Allies should agree on training and capacity-building activities in Iraq. Afterwards, Ministers discussed a possible support to Counter-ISIL Coalition with AWACS aircraft. NATO is also working to convert Operation Active Endeavour into a broader maritime security operation.
Finally, the Secretary General welcomed the adoption of UN resolution on the Libyan arms embargo.
