From Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the Wall Street Journal:  Last month, NATO conducted a historic exercise: the first comprehensive test of the alliance’s new missile-defense capability. A U.S. ship, radar and satellite, as well as interceptor batteries from Germany and the Netherlands, conducted a series of simulated engagements to test the alliance’s ability to defend against missile attacks. The test was successful… .

Today, we face a grave and growing threat from the proliferation of ballistic-missile technology. More than 30 countries have acquired such technology or are working to acquire it. Some already have missiles that can be fitted with conventional warheads or weapons of mass destruction, and some of these missiles can reach Europe. That’s why the U.S. and European allies are working together within NATO to develop appropriate responses… .

The U.S. and a number of European allies have announced their intention to contribute interceptors, sensors and control systems, as well as to host key parts of the overall system. At our summit in Chicago on May 20-21, we will declare an interim capability that brings these individual contributions together under NATO command and control.

This interim capability will provide the alliance with a limited but operationally meaningful and immediately available capability against a ballistic-missile threat. It is the first step, but a real step, toward providing full coverage for all NATO populations, territory and forces in Europe… .

From the very beginning, the whole point of NATO missile defense has been to go beyond the U.S. contribution. European allies are fully involved—supporting it politically, sharing the costs, and providing substantial assets of their own. Many different assets from European allies are being drawn together with the U.S. assets into a common, integrated and shared NATO capability.

The alliance has already developed an initial command-and-control system to link the U.S. assets with sensors and interceptors provided by European allies. This part of the system is designed by NATO, paid for by NATO, and operated by NATO.

After the Chicago summit, we will continue to expand the system toward full operational capability. The Netherlands has already announced plans to upgrade four air-defense frigates with missile-defense radar. France plans to develop an early-warning capability and long-range radar. Germany has offered Patriot missile batteries and is hosting the NATO command-and-control at Headquarters Alliance Air Command in Ramstein. Turkey, Romania, Poland and Spain have all agreed to host U.S. assets. I expect more announcements in the months and years ahead.

Mr. Rasmussen is secretary-general of NATO. (photo: Defense Update)

From Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Project Syndicate:  Many years ago, I took my children to visit the sites of the D-Day landings in Normandy. I wanted them to understand the sacrifices that others had made so that Europe and North America could enjoy the benefits of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We saw the beaches whose names echo through history – Omaha, Utah, Juno. Those beaches remain a memorial to the idea that, together, we can overcome any threat, no matter how great.

We understand the future that could have befallen not only Europe, but the entire world, if North America had not helped Europe in its hour of need. And we know that those landings created a unique bond between our continents.

That bond remains vital for the preservation of our values and our security. But, after the Cold War, many assumed that its institutional embodiment – the North Atlantic Treaty Organization – would fade away. It did not, because our bond is based not just on common threats, but on shared ideals. It could no more fade away than our desire for freedom could wane. NATO needed no external reasons to exist. Yet history would provide them soon enough.

In Bosnia and Kosovo, NATO intervened to stop massive human-rights violations. In Libya, we enforced a United Nations Security Council resolution to protect civilians. And in Afghanistan, we are denying a safe haven to extremists.

The Alliance has evolved into a true security-management organization that is flexible, efficient, and cost-effective. The threats have changed, and become more global, and we have changed to meet them.

NATO is developing a ballistic-missile defense capability to protect our European populations and territory against a grave and growing threat. In the Indian Ocean, NATO is working with the European Union and many others to police major sea lanes threatened by pirates. And, in countries around the world, it carries out tasks such as de-mining, disaster relief, advising on how to bring military forces under democratic control, and working closely with the UN to prevent harm to children.

Efforts like these may not make headlines. But security is like health – you never notice it until it takes a turn for the worse. This is why you need insurance. And NATO is the most solid security insurance that the world has. Underwritten by 28 members, it has delivered security benefits to all Allies, year after year, for more than six decades.

Anders Fogh Rasmussen has been Secretary-General of NATO since 2009. He was previously Prime Minister of Denmark.  (photo: thefrenchwillneverforget.com)

From the International News (Pakistan):  NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussensaid Friday that Pakistan had not been invited to the upcoming Chicago summit.

Rasmussen added that China, Russia and India have also not been invited to the conference. Invitations were given to Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Morocco.

Speaking to reporters, Rasmussen asked Pakistan to restore the NATO supply route.

“Our supply should be unblocked immediately,” Rasmussen said in reply to a question.

From Dunya News:  [T}he US administration has decided against inviting Pakistan to the Chicago summit, in a bid to covey its displeasure on the latter s reluctance to succumb to the American demands. The other purpose of this decision, sources informed, was to make Pakistan realize that critical decisions on Afghanistan could be taken even without Pakistan s participation.

The spokesperson of the US State Department, Victoria Nuland played down the question of inviting Pakistan to Chicago summit. “The guest list is still something that we’re working on, particularly in the context of the ISAF meeting, which will have a larger participation”, she stated while declining to comment when asked about their administration s expectations about Pakistani participation.

In an earlier briefing, US Special Representative to NATO, Ivo Daalder, termed Pakistan a very important country for the stability of the region and including Afghanistan. He was responding to a question regarding importance of Pakistan’s participation in the NATO summit as well as the endgame in Afghanistan.

“The issue of which countries are going to be coming to Chicago is still under discussion at NATO, and we hope and expect that those issues will be resolved soon”, Ambassador Daalder said while going to discuss the suspension of ground supply routes, invariably establishing a correlation between the two.

“As you know, we are in active bilateral consultations as well with a NATO participation in those consultations on finding ways to open the ground lines of communication through Pakistan into Afghanistan, which have now been closed for about six months,” he pointed out.

From Dawn.com:  “[O]bviously, the United States expects Mr Zardari to reopen the supply routes before the summit as it would be too embarrassing for him to attend a Nato meeting while his forces are blocking Nato supply lines,” said an official dealing directly with the summit.

From ZeeNews:  The announcement comes after a US Congressional Committee passed a bill imposing conditions on Pakistan for receiving American economic and military aid. The bill seeks certification from the Defence Secretary that Pakistan is committed to supporting counter terrorism operations in the country, and also prohibits the preferential procurement of goods or services from Pakistan till Islamabad re-opens the NATO supply routes.  (photo: NATO)  (Audio of NATO press conference)  (via @ShafiqSolangi)

From the White House:  The President met today with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen in the Oval Office in order to discuss preparations for the May 20-21 NATO Summit in Chicago.  The President and Secretary General Rasmussen agreed that the Summit would focus on three important topics: Afghanistan, defense capabilities, and partnerships. 

On Afghanistan, the President and the Secretary General agreed that the NATO Summit should reaffirm allied commitment to the transition framework agreed to at Lisbon, while planning for the final stages of that transition  — including a shift next year from combat to a support role, as well as enduring support for sufficient and sustainable Afghan forces.  The President and Secretary General also agreed that the Summit should highlight the commitment of allies to field the defense capabilities that NATO needs for the 2st century.  They discussed their expectation that allies would be in a position to announce progress on a number of key capabilities initiatives, including on missile defense. 

Finally, the President and the Secretary General discussed the importance of NATO’s partnerships with non-NATO countries.  NATO is now a hub for a global network of security partners which have served alongside NATO forces in Afghanistan, Libya, and Kosovo.  Recognizing the important contributions provided by partner nations, the President and Secretary General welcomed the recent decision by allies to invite a group of thirteen partner nations to Chicago for an unprecedented meeting to discuss ways to further broaden and deepen NATO’s cooperation with partner nations.  (photo: Reuters)

From NATO:  NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen held talks to prepare for this month’s Chicago Summit with US President Barack Obama at the White House on 9 May 2012. The Secretary General and the US president discussed the summit agenda ahead of the 20-21 May high-level meeting which will be NATO’s largest summit, gathering representatives from around 60 nations and organisations.

The Chicago Summit will focus on three key priorities: Afghanistan, capabilities and partnerships.  “At the summit we’ll discuss the next phase in our engagement in Afghanistan, how we can provide security in a time of austerity and how we can further strengthen our partnerships around the world”. Mr. Fogh Rasmussen said. “We agreed we’re in good shape,” the Secretary General said after his talks with the US President. “Chicago will show the strength of the transatlantic link between North America and Europe.”

During his visit the Secretary General praised the pivotal role played by the United States in the 28-nation Alliance and expressed thanks on behalf of the Allies to the US for hosting the Summit in Chicago.  The summit, which is being held in the US state of Illinois, will be the third time that NATO holds such a gathering in the United States.“The United States is vital to our Alliance,” Mr. Fogh Rasmussen said. “Your service men and women are doing an extraordinary job in Afghanistan – and in all our operations.”

He stressed during his visit that NATO remains the most effective Alliance in the world and this would be reinforced in Chicago.“We will make sure it stays strong and fit for the future,” said the Secretary General, adding that all Allies shared the security burden of membership. “In some operations like Afghanistan, the US has made the largest contribution. In others, like Libya, European Allies and Canada took the lead. They contributed the most assets,” said Mr. Fogh Rasmussen.

The Secretary General added that on Afghanistan, NATO “will make sure we successfully complete the transition to Afghan security lead by the end of 2014, and we will make clear continue to support the Afghan security forces after 2014.”

During his visit to Washington, the Secretary General also met with members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at the US Congress, to thank them for their commitment to the Alliance and discuss the summit agenda and priorities.  (photo: NATO)

From Ben Farmer, the Telegraph:  Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the alliance’s secretary general, said he would speak with the new French president immediately amid concerns France would soon announce the withdrawal of its 3,600-strong contingent… .

Barack Obama is also likely to appeal to Mr Hollande to remain in Afghanistan after inviting the new French president for talks at the White House… .

Any decision on an early French pull-out would need to be agreed with its allies at the Nato summit in Chicago later this month.

Manuel Valls, Mr Hollande’s communications director, confirmed that France would use the summit to “announce the withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan between now and the end of the year.”

French diplomats in Kabul also expected Mr Hollande to fulfil his pledge, though there were doubts that France could remove all its materiel from the country in time.  (photo: Reuters)

From Slobodan Lekic, the AP:  NATO’s top official on Monday defended the alliance’s plan for a shield against ballistic missiles in Europe, insisting the system is on track despite two U.S. reports that describe it as over budget and plagued by technical problems.

Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in an interview with The Associated Press the military alliance plans to announce its initial operational capacity at its summit in Chicago next month and that tests of the missile defense system show it is working.

“This will make it possible to protect parts of NATO territory, and that concept will be further developed in the coming years so that we will gradually be able to protect all the populations in European NATO countries,” Fogh Rasmussen said.

“As far as NATO is concerned, we have tested the systems and they work.”

Reports by the Defense Science Board, an advisory group to the U.S. Defense Department, and the U.S. Congress’ Government Accountability Office, indicated the system is plagued by technological problems, delays and cost overruns. The reports say missile interceptors are running into production glitches, radars are underpowered and sensors cannot distinguish between warheasds and other objects.

Fogh Rasmussen declined to discuss specifics, saying he had not seen the reports.

“I think that’s a U.S. question,” he said… .

NATO says that the future ballistic missile defense system passed a significant technical test on 4-5 April during a series of simulated engagements. In another April test, a similar theatermissile defense system tested jointly with Russia also performed well, it says.  (photo: Getty)

From John Pollock, Technology Review:  Publicly, NATO and its secretary general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, do use social media, including Twitter, Facebook, and a video blog—albeit as an adjunct to standard press-office fare. They took the trouble to ensure that the first announcement of the end of the Libyan operation came via Twitter and Facebook. Further, in one press briefing, NATO explained that its “fusion center” used open-source information like Twitter to deliver “usable intelligence.” Less publicly, the story is somewhat different… .

One NATO official to whom Technology Review spoke did confirm that NATO took advantage of civilian communications coming out of Libya, adding that the organization had never before had this kind of information. However, the role of civilians in providing intelligence, up to and including identifying targets, is an uncomfortable subject for NATO. Alongside a military concern for operations security, there are political sensitivities, given that countries including South Africa, Russia, and China complained that NATO forces were exceeding the mandate to protect civilians. Yet throughout the conflict, civilians did feed intelligence to NATO: in fact, they were asked to.

SOCIAL NETWORK INTELLIGENCE

When NATO called Nagi Idris out of the blue in search of intelligence, he was “very, very scared.” He was a research scientist living in Leeds, England, with his wife, Gihan Badi, and young son; the intelligence world was new to him. His contribution to the Libyan effort had been to gather information about the medical needs of civilians and freedom fighters in Benghazi, Misrata, and the Nafusa Mountains, raise the funds to address those needs, and secure humanitarian supplies and transport. As Libyans, Idris and Badi decided to call the British government to ask whether the NATO caller was a real contact and, if so, whether they should coöperate. It took half an hour for an official to confirm the name and verify that U.K. authorities were happy for them to work with NATO.

Their contact was from NATO’s Civil-Military Co-operation (CIMIC) group, whose website says its task is to “intensify the involvement of civilian actors in a more comprehensive and integrated way into planning.” With her husband concentrating on humanitarian relief, Badi took the lead, supplying regular updates including, at NATO’s request, precise coördinates. Badi knew NATO wanted multiple sources for cross-checking, so she created Chinese walls to separate herself from others—including her husband—who had their own networks.

Another Libyan civilian who contributed important intelligence is a man I will call Asim (he requested anonymity because he believes that his work, providing targeting information to NATO, led directly to the deaths of people who may still have family in Libya). An influential, well-connected Libyan working in the media, Asim smuggled most of his family out of the country and then set up “op rooms” in Tunisia, Dubai, and Spain. “I don’t think any intelligence agency in the world knows Qaddafi as well as the Libyan people,” he says.

Asim’s network of information smugglers brought thumb drives and disks out of Tripoli and got approximately a hundred Thuraya satellite phones into the country. They supplied NATO with blueprints, troop locations and movements, and a detailed diagram of Qaddafi’s family connections. His estimate of Qaddafi troop numbers in Brega, between Benghazi and Misrata, came through a contact in the catering company supplying their meals.

Asim’s op rooms conveyed their intelligence to NATO, he says, via “a super-node in Dubai… .”

In today’s world, as the U.S. Army Field Manual for Operations notes, “information has become as important as lethal action in determining the outcome of operations.” Now the traditional networks through which information flows—from the mass media to military units—are being rewired. By and large, military and intelligence organizations still see the new networks, and the coöperation and collaboration they engender, as a threat, not an opportunity.

But as military budgets shrink, the world urbanizes, and Kilcullen’s “presumed consensus” collapses, cheap handheld technology is making citizen networks an inevitable feature of the information battle space.

John Pollock is a contributing editor to Technology Review. He wrote about the uses of social media during the Arab Spring in the September/October 2011 issue.  (photo: Getty)

From Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO:  Europe cannot afford to be inward-looking or self-absorbed… .

Today’s economic difficulties may tempt European nations to become introverted.  But the need for a confident, compelling, outward-looking Europe has never been greater.

This is why European nations must continue to invest in critical military capabilities – smartly and sufficiently.  And they must continue to show willingness to use them when needed.

The good news is that Europe is not starting from scratch. Today we have a more capable and more willing Europe than 20 years ago. More European troops are deployed in more places than ever in recent history. Even smaller nations, like my own, have shown their capacity to punch above their weight.

In Libya last year, European nations clearly demonstrated that they are willing and able to lead a NATO operation. Without significant American contributions, however, Operation Unified Protector would have been less effective. Assets like air-to-air refueling, surveillance, and intelligence, made all the difference.

For Europeans to provide such assets requires political commitment, just as much as financial resources. Because individual nations can no longer afford these military capabilities on their own – now or in the future.

However, if we pool and share resources, if we help each other, if we go for multinational solutions, then we can afford the capabilities we need in the 21st Century. This is Smart Defence. And a crucial part of Smart Defence involves closer coordination and closer cooperation between NATO and the European Union.  So that we reinforce each other, rather than compete with each other. Because, we all know we share 21 members. And they only have one set of forces. And one set of tax-payers. This is why I welcome the European Union pooling and sharing initiative – and I particularly welcome the current project on air-to-air refueling… .

Europe must invest sufficiently in our common security. And Europe must continue to invest in the vital transatlantic bond - in political, economic, and military terms.

I believe in Europe. I believe in Europe’s commitment to promote peace and security on this continent and beyond. And I believe in Europe’s ambition to play its part in the world. 

Excerpts from address by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen to the joint meeing of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs and Sub-committee on Security and Defence.  (photo: Getty)

From Celil Sagir, Zaman:  Turkey has blocked Israel’s participation in NATO’s upcoming Chicago summit in a sign of Turkey’s determination to prevent its new foe from cooperating with the alliance following a deadly ship raid.

Turkish and Israeli relations worsened in May 2010 and have remained strained since then after Israeli naval commandos stormed the Mavi Marmara, a ship carrying humanitarian aid to breach Israel’s Gaza blockade, killing nine Turkish civilians.

Turkey said it will not allow Israel, a member of the Mediterranean Dialogue, a NATO outreach program with seven non-NATO nations, to take part in the alliance’s new “Partnership Cooperation Menu (PCM),” during a NATO meeting in Brussels last week attended by Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu.

Because of Ankara’s veto, Israel will not attend the NATO summit due to take place from May 20 to 21 in Chicago, an important diplomatic summit to be hosted by US President Barack Obama.

According to information obtained from Turkish diplomatic sources, Davutoğlu reacted to the criticism raised by some NATO members in the Brussels meeting who claimed bilateral problems should not be brought to the alliance by underlining that Turkey cannot consider a country which killed Turkish citizens in international waters as a partner.

Davutoğlu reminded the members that Turkey was a country that rescued citizens of other NATO member countries who were detained by Israel during the Mavi Marmara raid. “Go and tell Israel to apologize for the incident and to pay compensation for the Turkish citizens whom it massacred,” Davutoğlu said… .

A senior diplomatic source said Turkey’s bargaining power is too strong. “We [Turkey] are blocking Israel in many areas. We avoid contact with Israel in any international meeting,” the same source said.

Another diplomatic source emphasized that NATO-Israel relations could not be restored until Turkey-Israel relations are normalized. 

From Hurriyet Daily News: Some ministers of the allied countries including the United States, France and Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen indirectly criticized Turkey for bringing its bilateral problems with Israel to the NATO platform. Some ministers went so far as to vow to veto the participation of Egypt, Mauritania, Algeria, Morocco and other partner countries in the activities of the Mediterranean Dialogue if Turkey continues to do so against Israel, something they called “a violation of NATO’s values.”

Criticism from Davutoğlu

In response to such statements, Davutoğlu harshly criticized his counterparts sitting around the same large table. “You are talking about being partners and partnership values. But partners, first of everything, should act like partners, so that we’ll treat them accordingly,” was the main message Davutoğlu delivered to his NATO colleagues. He elaborated:

- The army of a country which you call a partner killed our citizens upon a political order given by its administration. We do not call this kind of country a partner.

- Turkey evacuated from Israel not only Turks but citizens from many countries, after they were detained by Israeli forces due to Mavi Marmara incident. It also evacuated citizens of all nationalities from Libya and Syria without making distinction. Our expectation from all allied countries is to pay the same respect to our citizens as we do to yours.

- I assure you that Turkey will be the first country acting to protect the citizens of NATO countries in a similar incident. We believe in the notion of solidarity in NATO much more than the discrimination some of you have expressed.  (photo: Reuters)  (via @WPReview)