NATO update

 

NATO Allies Estonia and France train together in trench warfare Reservists from the Estonian Defence League and paratroopers from the French Army drilled in the demanding art of trench warfare during an exercise on 14 and 15 October. The bilateral training was held in a series of trench networks in northern Estonia, which were built to let troops practise fighting from and against entrenched positions.  The training was run by soldiers from the French Army’s 1st Parachute Chasseur Regiment, which arrived in Estonia in early September to train with Estonian reservists in military operations in built-up areas. While the French paratroopers are operating separately from NATO’s multinational battlegroup in Estonia, the French military has also deployed a contingent of Marines to bolster the battlegroup. Click here to download the b-roll. Footage includes shots of Estonian and French troops running training attacks on a trench, and interviews with a French officer. NATO Allies train together with partner Moldova NATO Allies Romania and the United States strengthened their relations with the Republic of Moldova – a NATO partner – through exercise Rapid Trident 2023, which was held in Moldova from 10 to 22 September. 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 personnel from the Moldovan Army. Soldiers became acquainted with each other’s standard operating procedures, improving their ability to work effectively together in a crisis situation.  Bordering Romania and Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova declared its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Relations with NATO started in 1992, when Moldova joined the North Atlantic Cooperation Council, a forum for dialogue bringing together all Allies and partner countries in the Euro-Atlantic area and which was succeeded by the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council. In 1994, the country joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace programme. The programme fosters practical bilateral cooperation and allows partners to build an individual relationship with NATO, choosing their own priorities for cooperation. Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, NATO Allies pledged to help strengthen Moldovan security institutions and increase their resilience. Click here to download the video.  You can also watch the video on YouTube. Secretary General welcomes Prime Minister of Cabo Verde to NATO Headquarters Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva of Cabo Verde at NATO Headquarters on Thursday (26 October 2023). Noting that NATO and Cabo Verde “share the same values of freedom, democracy, and human rights,” Mr Stoltenberg said that NATO is stepping up cooperation with partners. He underlined that NATO already has partners in North Africa and is strengthening cooperation with the African Union to address common challenges, including terrorism, climate change, and small arms proliferation. Click here to download the joint press conference by the NATO Secretary General and Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva of the Republic of Cabo Verde. The webstory is available on the NATO website, as well as the transcript of the joint press conference. NATO Secretary General meets Prime Minister of Moldova and reaffirms longstanding partnership NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the Prime Minister of Moldova Dorin Recean to NATO Headquarters on Thursday (26 October 2023). He praised NATO and Moldova’s 30-year-long partnership and called on Russia to withdraw its troops from Moldova’s territory. At the Vilnius Summit, Allies had agreed on continuing to step up NATO’s longstanding practical and political cooperation with Moldova. “This will also help you on the path towards EU membership”, Mr. Stoltenberg said. He thanked Moldova for contributing to the KFOR peacekeeping mission in Kosovo. “Stability in the Western Balkans matters for all of us”. Click here to download the press statements by the NATO Secretary General and Prime Minister Dorin Recean of the Republic of Moldova. The webstory is available on the NATO website, as well as the transcript of the press statements by NATO's Secretary General and the Moldovan Prime Minister. Secretary General at NATO-Industry Forum: without industry there is no defence Addressing the NATO-Industry Forum in Stockholm on Wednesday (25 October 2023), Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg highlighted the vital link between NATO, Allies and industry when it comes to ensuring support to Ukraine, strengthening deterrence and defence, and maintaining the Alliance’s technological edge. NATO’s relationship with industry has become more important than ever since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year. Many Allies have significantly depleted their stocks in order to support Ukraine, which will continue to need large quantities of high-quality capabilities to defend itself. At the Vilnius Summit, Allies stepped up even more, including with a new Defence Production Action Plan to aggregate demand, boost capacity, strengthen engagement with industry and increase interoperability. This year marks the first time a NATO invitee nation has hosted the NATO-Industry Forum. The Secretary General said that this demonstrates how close Sweden already is to the Alliance, adding that he looks forward to welcoming Sweden as a full-fledged NATO Ally soon. Click here to download the remarks by NATO Secretary General at the NATO-Industry Forum. Click here for all the video content related to the NATO Secretary General's visit to Sweden. The webstory is available on the NATO website as well as transcript of his remarks.  Secretary General welcomes latest steps towards Sweden’s NATO accession NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in Stockholm on Tuesday (24 October 2023) to discuss finalising Sweden’s NATO accession. The Secretary General welcomed the decision of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to submit the accession protocol to the Grand National Assembly. During his visit to Sweden, the Secretary General is also meeting with Defence Minister Pål Jonson, Foreign Minister Tobias Billström, and the First Deputy Speaker of the Swedish Parliament, Kenneth G Forslund. On Wednesday (25 October 2023), Mr Stoltenberg will participate in the NATO-Industry Forum in Stockholm. Click here to download the press conference by NATO Secretary General and the Swedish Prime Minister, Mr. Ulf Kristersson and here to dowload the Q&A session that followed. Click here to download all the video files of the visit of NATO Secretary General to Sweden. The webstory is available on the NATO Website as well as transcripts of his remarks.  27 October 2023 Update Secretary General at NATO-Industry Forum: without industry there is no defence Addressing the NATO-Industry Forum in Stockholm on 25 October 2023, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg highlighted the vital link between NATO, Allies and industry when it comes to ensuring support to Ukraine, strengthening deterrence and defence, and maintaining the Alliance’s technological edge. READ MORE Secretary General meets Prime Minister of Moldova and reaffirms longstanding partnership NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the Prime Minister of Moldova Dorin Recean to NATO Headquarters on 26 October 2023. He praised NATO and Moldova’s 30-year-long partnership and called on Russia to withdraw its troops from Moldova’s territory. READ MORE Secretary General welcomes latest steps towards Sweden’s NATO accession Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in Stockholm on 24 October 2023 to discuss finalising Sweden’s NATO accession. The Secretary General welcomed the decision of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to submit the accession protocol to the Grand National Assembly. READ MORE Secretary General welcomes Prime Minister of Cabo Verde to NATO Headquarters Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva of Cabo Verde to NATO Headquarters on 26 October 2023. READ MORE NATO Military Committee visits Joint Support and Enabling Command in Germany On 25-26 October 2023, the NATO Military Committee visited NATO’s Joint Support and Enabling Command (JSEC) in Ulm, Germany. The visit represented an important occasion to discuss major work strands and challenges moving forward, as JSEC takes a key role for strategic enablement within the Alliance and transitions into full NATO Command Structure Headquarters by 2025. READ MORE Chair of the NATO Military Committee: “It is time we look at effectiveness again” From 24 to 25 October 2023, the Chair of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer, attended the 2023 NATO-Industry Forum, hosted in Stockholm, Sweden, where he delivered a keynote speech on NATO standardisation and the role of the defence industry in collective defence. READ MORE “Arctic remains essential to NATO’s deterrence and defence posture”, says Chair of NATO Military Committee On 20 and 21 October 2023, the Chair of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Bauer, attended the 10th edition of the Arctic Circle Assembly. While in Iceland, he also met with Minister of Foreign Affairs Bjarni Benediktsson, Chief of Defence Jonas Allansson and Chairman of the Arctic Circle Assembly Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson. READ MORE NATO Allies train together with partner Moldova NATO Allies Romania and the United States strengthened their relations with the Republic of Moldova – a NATO partner – through exercise Rapid Trident 2023, which was held in Moldova from 10 to 22 September. WATCH VIDEO THIS WEEK IN PICTURES Protecting our critical satellite infrastructure: the importance of space-based infrastructure to humanity, and its status within NATO David Eagleson Amongst the many vital strategic and security priorities on the agenda at the NATO summit in Vilnius, it was refreshing to see important discussions about space security taking place. Space has long been an important domain for military operations and has been used actively by NATO for its own satellite communications (SATCOM) programme for almost two decades. However, it was not until 2019 that NATO Allies formally recognised space as an operational domain, opening the door to a greater focus on how space can play a pivotal role in our defence. READ/LISTEN MORE Protecting our critical satellite infrastructure David Eagleson SUBSCRIBE 24 October 2023 NATO Secretary General meets the Prime Minister of Cabo Verde On Thursday 26 October 2023, the NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg, will receive the Prime Minister of the Republic of Cabo Verde, Mr. José Ulisses Correia e Silva. The Secretary General and Mr. José Ulisses Correia e Silva will give a joint press conference at NATO HQ after their meeting.   Media advisory 11:30 (CEST)      Press conference with the NATO Secretary General and Mr. José Ulisses Correia e Silva Media coverage Media representatives who have annual accreditation to NATO for 2023 can attend the press conference in person. The press conference will be streamed live on the NATO website. The video will be available for free download from the NATO Multimedia Portal after the event. A transcript of the Secretary General’s remarks, as well as pictures taken by NATO photographers, will be available on the NATO website.   For more information: Contact the NATO Press Office NATO Secretary General meets the Prime Minister of Moldova On Thursday 26 October 2023, the NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg, will receive the Prime Minister of Moldova, Mr. Dorin Recean, at NATO Headquarters. Afterwards, Mr. Recean will engage with Allies at the North Atlantic Council chaired by NATO Deputy Secretary General, Mr. Mircea Geoană.   Media advisory 08:30 (CEST)      Short statements by the Secretary General and the Prime Minister (Agora podium - visual media only)   Media coverage Media representatives who have annual accreditation to NATO for 2023 can cover the statements in person, on first come-first serve basis. Media wishing to do so are requested to inform NATOMediaOperations@hq.nato.int by midday on 25 October. Media representatives are requested to report in front of the Press shop (ground floor) at 08:00 (CEST). The event will be streamed live on the NATO website and X @NATOPress. A transcript of the Secretary General’s remarks, as well as pictures taken by a NATO photographer, will be available on the NATO website. The video will be available for free download from the NATO Multimedia Portal after the event.   For more information: Contact the NATO Press Office Meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs - Brussels, 28-29 November 2023 GENERAL A meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs will take place on 28-29 November 2023 at the NATO Headquarters in Brussels. The meeting will be chaired by the NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg. Journalists with annual NATO accreditation do not need to apply for separate ad-hoc accreditation for this event. All other journalists who plan to attend in person need to seek ad-hoc accreditation by Sunday 12 November at 23:59 (CEST). The Secretary General will preview the Ministerial meeting with a press conference in the days before the event. Ministerial accreditation, as well as annual accreditation, will give access to that press conference. The Secretary General will brief the media on both days of the Ministerial meeting. PROGRAMME A detailed media programme of the Meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers will be available on the NATO website closer to the event. For information about individual Ministers’ media programmes, please contact the national delegations. A list of delegation press officers is available from the NATO Press Office (contact here). MEDIA ACCESS Media representatives who wish to cover the Meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers need to seek accreditation, except if they have annual accreditation at NATO. Accredited media representatives can work in the press area of NATO Headquarters on 27, 28 and 29 November 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. 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. MEDIA ACCREDITATION Media representatives who have annual accreditation to NATO for 2023 do not need to apply for separate accreditation for this event. All other media representatives wishing to cover the meeting need to apply for accreditation. They need to register via NATO’s media accreditation platform: https://my.hq.nato.int. Please find instructions on how to log in or create a new profile in Annex 1. The deadline to register and apply for media accreditation is Sunday 12 November at 23:59 (CEST). Please apply as early as possible to allow for sufficient time for processing accreditation requests. NATO will confirm accreditation explicitly by email. 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 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 Foreign Ministers will be accessible only to a pool of visual journalists. Details on pooled events and distribution of pool cards will be available in the media programme, a few days before the event. 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 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 broadcastoperations@HQ.NATO.INT NATO Video on demand content[at]natomultimedia.tv NATO HQ, Blvd Leopold III 1110 Brussels, Belgium