PRESS CONFERENCE by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg after a meeting of NATO defence ministers

PRESS CONFERENCE

by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg after a meeting of NATO defence ministers

• 14 Feb. 2018 -
• 
• Last updated: 15 Feb. 2018 09:26

(As delivered)

Good evening.

We have just finished a very productive meeting of Defence Ministers. Where we took major decisions to modernise the NATO Command Structure. It is the backbone of our Alliance. And it enables our twenty-nine nations to act as one. It allows us to run our missions and operations. And to train and act in case of crisis. With the right forces, in the right place, at the right time.

At the end of the Cold War, NATO had 22,000 staff working in 33 commands. Today, the command structure is reduced to fewer than 7,000 staff in 7 commands. But the security environment in Europe has changed, and so NATO is responding. Last November, Defence Ministers agreed in principle to the design for an adapted NATO Command Structure. It will place greater focus on maritime security, logistics and military mobility, and cyber defence.

And today, we decided on the key elements of the new NATO Command Structure:

• We will establish a new Joint Force Command for the Atlantic. To help protect sea lines of communication between North America and Europe.
• We will establish a new support Command for logistics, reinforcement and military mobility. Improving the movement of troops and equipment is essential to our collective deterrence and defence.
• We will also designate some additional land component commands in Europe. To further improve coordination and rapid response for our forces.
• We will also set up a new Cyber Operations Centre at our military headquarters in SHAPE, to further strengthen our defences.

In June, Defence Ministers will decide on timelines, the locations of our new commands, and the increased staff levels that will be required.