NATO update

 

29 September 2023 Update

Secretary General in Kyiv: Ukraine is closer to NATO than ever before Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visited Kyiv on 28 September 2023, underscoring NATO’s powerful support for Ukraine in talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his government. Calling Kyiv “a city with a special place in the hearts of the free world,” Mr Stoltenberg paid tribute to President Zelenskyy’s leadership and the heroism of the Ukrainian armed forces, welcoming that Ukraine is “gradually gaining ground” in its hard-fought counteroffensive. READ MORE

NATO Secretary General calls for creation of a transatlantic quantum community, welcomes Denmark’s leadership In a visit to Copenhagen on 29 September 2023, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called for the development of a transatlantic quantum community, harnessing the power of this critical technology for our security. READ MORE NATO Secretary General addresses first International Defence Industry Forum in Kyiv: there is no defence without industry Addressing the first meeting of the International Defence Industry Forum in Kyiv on 29 September 2023, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg payed tribute to the Ukrainian people and armed forces, whose courage and heroism have inspired the world as they continue to push back on Russia’s brutal war of aggression. READ MORE Secretary General statement on the situation in Kosovo The North Atlantic Council met on 29 September 2023 to discuss the situation in Kosovo. Allies expressed their deep concern about the increasing tensions in northern Kosovo. READ MORE NATO Secretary General welcomes contracts worth 2.4 billion euros to strengthen ammunition stockpiles At their meeting in Paris this week, NATO Allies and partners in the Land Battle Decisive Munitions framework drove forward efforts to increase ammunition stocks. In the run-up to this meeting, the NATO Support and Procurement Agency put framework contracts and orders into place for hundreds of thousands of pieces of key ammunition. READ MORE NATO deploys AWACS surveillance jets to Lithuania NATO temporarily deploys Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) surveillance planes to Šiauliai, Lithuania. The first of two aircraft arrived on 28 September 2023 and will fly missions to monitor Russian military activity near the Alliance’s borders. READ MORE NATO Secretary General meets Latvian Prime Minister, welcomes Allies’ significant contributions to Ukraine NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa to NATO Headquarters on 27 September 2023 to discuss Russia’s war against Ukraine and follow up on decisions taken at the recent NATO Summit in Vilnius. READ MORE NATO Deputy Secretary General meets Colombian Defence Minister On 27 September 2023, NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană met Colombian Defence Minister Iván Velásquez Gómez at NATO Headquarters. The Deputy Secretary General underlined the importance of NATO’s partnership with Colombia and the unique perspective that Colombia brings as NATO’s partner in Latin America.

22 September 2023 Update

NATO Secretary General in New York: supporting Ukraine is in our security interest NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg participated in the Russell C. Leffingwell Lecture at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York on 21 September 2023. In his conversation with former US Representative Jane Harman, Mr Stoltenberg highlighted that his main message at the UN General Assembly was the importance of maintaining strong support for Ukraine. READ MORE

NATO tests counter-drone technologies during exercise From 12 to 22 September 2023, over 300 participants from 15 Allied and three partner nations, the European Union and the private sector gathered in the Netherlands to increase their ability to counter potential threats posed by the malign use of small drones. READ MORE NATO and the European Union meet to discuss deepening cooperation on cyber defence Senior officials from NATO and the European Union met on 22 September 2023 to discuss challenges and further cooperation in the cyber domain. READ MORE NATO exercises with new maritime unmanned systems in Portugal Two exercises focusing on the integration of new maritime technologies into NATO operations and the ability of autonomous underwater vehicles to operate together are being held in Portugal this month. READ MORE NATO Deputy Secretary General at CEVRO Institute: if President Putin wins, we all lose NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană sent a strong message of support to Ukraine for as long as it takes, adding that a win for President Putin in Ukraine would send the wrong message to other authoritarian leaders and undermine the rules-based international order. READ MORE NATO and Spain engage in practical cooperation on science NATO experts and researchers from across Spain gathered in Madrid on 13 September 2023 to explore opportunities for scientific cooperation under the Alliance’s Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Programme. READ MORE NATO Military Committee farewells Deputy Chair, Lieutenant General Lance Landrum On 21 September, the NATO Military Committee bid farewell to Lieutenant General Lance Landrum, who served as the 23rd Deputy Chair of the NATO Military Committee since 11 October 2021. READ MORE NATO Deputy Secretary General: democracies should stand united to defend the multilateral global order Speaking at the Foundation for European Progressive Studies’ (FEPS) Annual Autumn Academy on Wednesday 20 September 2023, Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană emphasised the importance of defending democratic values against challenges to the rules-based international order.

NATO Secretary General to visit Denmark

On Friday 29 September 2023, the NATO Secretary General, Mr Jens Stoltenberg, will travel to Denmark. During the visit, Mr Stoltenberg will participate in the Copenhagen Quantum 2023 Conference, where he will give a speech on the need to build a Transatlantic quantum community. He will also meet with the Prime Minister of Denmark, Ms Mette Frederiksen, and the Minister of Defence, Mr Troels Lund Poulsen, as well as other senior government officials. The NATO Secretary General will also participate in the inauguration of the Deep Tech Lab – Quantum (DTL-Q), NATO's DIANA accelerator site. Media advisory 12:15 (CEST)          Speech by the NATO Secretary General at the Copenhagen Quantum 2023 Conference Media coverage The Secretary General's speech at the Copenhagen Quantum 2023 Conference, as well as his remarks at the DTL-Q's inauguration, will be streamed live on the NATO website. Transcripts of the Secretary General's engagements, as well as photographs, will be available on the NATO website after the events.   For more information: Contact the NATO Press Office

NATO Secretary General calls for creation of a transatlantic quantum community, welcomes Denmark’s leadership In a visit to Copenhagen on Friday (29 September 2023), NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called for the development of a transatlantic quantum community, harnessing the power of this critical technology for our security. In a joint statement with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, the two leaders underscored the importance of closer collaboration among public, private and academic sectors, and the acceleration of responsible innovation. Click here to download the panel discussion with NATO Secretary General at the Copenhagen Quantum 2023 Conference as well his remarks at the inauguration of the Deep Tech Lab - Quantum.  The webstory is available on the NATO Website as well as transcripts of his remarks.

NATO's dog handlers Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) dog handlers from across Allied countries gathered in Lithuania to carry out practical training together as part of exercise Engineer Thunder 23. The dogs were presented with challenging scenarios to test their sense of sight and smell. Military working dogs are an indispensable part of NATO’s forces, playing crucial roles in Allied military police, engineer and special operations units. Organised and hosted by the Lithuanian Army’s Colonel Juozas Vitkus Engineering Battalion, the multinational exercise Engineer Thunder 23 featured the participation by over 1,000 troops from 11 NATO Allies. Click here to download the b-roll. Footage includes shots of dog handlers from Hungary, Lithuania, and Belgium acting out training scenarios with their dogs. Footage also includes interviews with the dog handlers.

NATO Secretary General in Kyiv: Ukraine is closer to NATO than ever before NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visited Kyiv on Thursday (28 September 2023), underscoring NATO’s powerful support for Ukraine in talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his government. Mr Stoltenberg paid tribute to President Zelenskyy’s leadership and the heroism of the Ukrainian armed forces. He welcomed that Ukraine has strong backing from all NATO Allies and many partners in the Ukraine Defence Contact Group – with more than 50 nations providing support and supplies. He further noted that over 140 nations stood up for Ukraine’s sovereignty at the United Nations.  Mr Stoltenberg welcomed that all Allies have agreed that Ukraine will join NATO, and pointed to three historic decisions taken at the Vilnius Summit to help make this a reality.  Click here to download the joint press conference by the NATO Secretary General and the President of Ukraine. Click here for all the video content related to the NATO Secretary General's visit to Ukraine. Click here for the webstory and here for the transcript of the press conference.

NATO Secretary General meets Latvian Prime Minister and welcomes Allies’ significant contributions to Ukraine NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa to NATO Headquarters on Wednesday (27 September 2023) to discuss Russia’s war against Ukraine and follow up on decisions taken at the recent NATO Summit in Vilnius. Mr Stoltenberg thanked Prime Minister Siliņa for Latvia’s contributions to the Alliance, including the country’s strong leadership on defence spending, deployments to missions in Kosovo and Iraq, and substantial political and military support provided to Ukraine. Click here to download the press statement by the NATO Secretary General and Prime Minister Evika Siliņa of Latvia The webstory is available on the NATO Website as well as the transcript. NATO Allies and partners train together in exercise Rapid Trident 2023 NATO Allies Romania and the United States strengthened their relations with the Republic of Moldova – a NATO partner – through exercise Rapid Trident 2023, recently held in Moldova. Troops from the US Army’s 101st Airborne Division, currently deployed to Romania, and the Romanian Army trained in land navigation, small unit tactics and combat casualty care, alongside more than 200 soldiers from the Moldovan Army. As they worked through training drills, the soldiers became acquainted with each other’s standard operating procedures, improving their ability to work effectively together in a crisis situation. Click here to download the b-roll. Footage includes shots of Moldovan and US Army soldiers navigating through the woods, hiding in positions, as well as US Army soldiers launching an unmanned aerial vehicle. Footage also includes interviews with Major Vitalie Creciun, Moldovan Armed Forces, and Captain Vince Bartram, US Army. Press Release 26 September 2023 UPDATE - Meeting of NATO Ministers of Defence Brussels, 11-12 October 2023 GENERAL A meeting of Defence Ministers will take place on 11-12 October 2023 at the NATO Headquarters in Brussels. The meeting will be chaired by the NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg. The deadline for accreditation is Thursday 28 September 2023, at midnight (CEST).   The Secretary General will brief the media on both days of the Ministerial meeting (doorstep and press conference on 11 October, with a final press conference on 12 October). PROGRAMME A detailed media programme of the Meeting of NATO Defence Ministers will be available on the NATO website soon. For information about individual Ministers’ media programmes, please contact the national delegations. A list of delegation press officers is available from NATO Press & Media (press[at]hq.nato.int). MEDIA ACCESS Accredited media representatives can work in the press area of NATO Headquarters on the day of the pre-ministerial press conference and the days of the Ministerial meeting, and access all public areas. The opening hours of the press area will be communicated in the media programme. Accredited journalists can attend Ministers’ doorsteps and the press conferences of the NATO Secretary General. These events will also be streamed live on the NATO website. National briefings will also take place at NATO Headquarters. Those may be by invitation only. Please contact national delegations at NATO for details about their plans. POOLS A few elements of the Meeting of NATO Defence Ministers will be accessible only to a pool of visual journalists. Due to space constraints and security reasons, visual pools are limited in size. Details on pooled events will be available in the media programme. Please email NatoMediaOperations[at]hq.nato.int if you are a camera operator or photographer and you are interested in pool access. If you accept a NATO pool position you must share immediately all information and material collected while in the pool with any accredited media that request it, at no charge and with no restriction on the use of the material for news purposes. Media organisations that want pooled images should first contact the wire service / photo agency of which they are a client. Media representatives and news organisations must identify that it is pooled material every time it is used. Pooled material can only be used for legitimate news purposes and cannot be sold. BROADCAST NATO will provide broadcast-quality video in real time on EBU World feed or to EBU News Exchange. NATO photographers and videographers will provide video clips and photos of all public events during the ministerial meeting. Photos can be downloaded from the NATO website. The video files will be available for free download from the NATO Multimedia Portal. The Secretary General's press conferences will be streamed live on the NATO website. MEDIA ACCREDITATION Media representatives who have annual accreditation to NATO for 2023 do not need to apply for separate accreditation for this event. Journalists who have applied for access to this particular event will be notified of their accreditation. Please bring a printout of the confirmation email when collecting your badge. Media passes must be collected in person upon presentation of an ID card or passport at the Main Entrance, NATO Headquarters, Boulevard Leopold III 1110 Brussels. You must bring the same ID document that you used to apply for accreditation online. Passes must be visible at all times. Please arrive early to clear security checks. Security personnel will examine and may test equipment and personal effects. MEDIA FACILITIES A press working area will be set up on the first floor of the Public Square at NATO HQ. Working spaces cannot be booked in advance and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Television and radio editing spaces will be available upon request by email to the NATO TV & Radio Unit (see contact details below). PARKING Media representatives can park in the Visitors' car park of the NATO HQ. Uplink vans can park in a special section of the car park upon request to the NATO TV & Radio Unit. For general queries: Contact the NATO Press Office Accreditation NatoAccreditations[at]hq.nato.int TV & Radio arrangements on site and via satellite Vandendorpe.Bart[at]hq.nato.int NATO Video on demand content[at]natomultimedia.tv NATO works with industry partners on counter-drone technology The misuse of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) has created new challenges for airspace security. It represents a significant and growing risk to NATO operations and day-to-day defence activity. NATO is working with industry to develop capabilities to counter this threat. Exercise C-UAS TIE 23 (Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems Technical Interoperability Exercise) brought together civilian and military specialists, as well as over 60 industry participants in order to test counter-drone technologies to make sure different systems could communicate and work together instantly. Click here to download the b-roll. Footage includes various counter-drone technologies in action, drone flights and interviews with military and civilian specialists.