NATO update

 

7 June 2024 Update Secretary General at Berga Naval Base: Sweden’s membership makes NATO stronger and safer Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visited the Swedish Armed Forces at Berga Naval Base on 7 June 2024, in his first visit to Sweden since the country joined NATO in March. After a meeting with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Mr Stoltenberg underlined that Sweden’s membership has made NATO stronger and Sweden safer. READ MORE Secretary General makes first visit to Helsinki since Finland joined NATO, welcomes strong support to Ukraine Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with President Alexander Stubb in Helsinki on 6 June 2024, in his first visit since Finland joined NATO. READ MORE NATO wraps up its largest exercise since the Cold War NATO’s largest exercise in decades, Steadfast Defender 2024, concluded on 31 May 2024. During the four-month exercise, Allies demonstrated how they can deploy forces from both sides of the Atlantic rapidly across the Alliance. Approximately 90,000 troops, over 80 aircraft, 50 ships and 1,100 combat vehicles took part in the exercise. READ MORE Chair of the NATO Military Committee attends the Shangri-La Dialogue From 30 May until 2 June 2024, Admiral Rob Bauer, Chair of the NATO Military Committee, participated in the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. While attending the Dialogue, Admiral Bauer met with senior political and military officials from China, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland and the United States. He spoke at a panel session on AI, Cyber Defence and Future Warfare, and delivered a keynote address at the Indo Pacific Forum, alongside the Japanese Minister of Defence. READ MORE NATO and Ukraine deepen innovation cooperation at the NATO-Ukraine Defence Innovators Forum On 4-6 June 2024, NATO and Ukraine took further steps to enhance cooperation to address most pressing technological challenges in defence and security. READ MORE NATO scientists start research mission in the Arctic Sea Scientists and engineers from the NATO Science and Technology Organization’s Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE) arrived at the Norwegian port of Tromsø on 5 June 2024 to begin two combined research missions that will assess the impact of climate change in the Arctic. The results of their studies will help NATO adapt to global warming and Arctic environmental transformation. READ MORE NATO Through Time podcast – A political-military alliance with Lt Gen Hans-Werner Wiermann The NATO Through Time podcast dives deep into NATO’s history, reflecting on how the past influences the present – and future – of the longest-lasting alliance in history. This episode features Lt Gen Hans-Werner Wiermann, who served as Director General of NATO’s International Military Staff (DGIMS) from 2019 until 2022. READ MORE 21st IMS-EUMS Directors General Conference On 31 May 2024, the NATO Headquarters hosted the 21st iteration of the bi-annual IMS-EUMS Directors General Conference. Military staffs from NATO and the EU hold regular meetings to discuss key topics for the collaboration between both international organisations. READ MORE Crack the code of NATO’s flag signals Signal flags are colourful and eye-catching, but do you know what they mean? These flags are not just for decoration; they are still a vital way of sending messages across the seas. Each flag represents either letters or numbers that can be used together to form words or codes, or has a specific standalone meaning. By combining them in different ways, ships can communicate with each other, and with their surroundings in a snap. WATCH VIDEO NATO phonetic alphabet, codes and signals The ability to communicate and make yourself understood can make a difference in life-threatening situations – imagine for example that you are trying to alert a search and rescue helicopter of the position of a downed pilot. READ MORE THIS WEEK IN PICTURES

NATO HQ, Blvd Leopold III 1110 Brussels, Belgium

NATO Secretary General at Berga Naval Base: Sweden’s membership makes NATO stronger and safer NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visited the Swedish Armed Forces at Berga Naval Base on Friday (7 June 2024), in his first visit to Sweden since the country joined NATO in March. After a meeting with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Mr Stoltenberg underlined that Sweden’s membership has made NATO stronger and Sweden safer. Click here to download the press conference by the NATO Secretary General and the Swedish Prime Minister.  The webstory is available on the NATO website.

NATO Secretary General makes first visit to Helsinki since Finland joined NATO, welcomes strong support to Ukraine NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with President Alexander Stubb in Helsinki on Thursday (6 June 2024), in his first visit since Finland joined NATO. The Secretary General stressed that with Finland as an Ally, NATO is stronger and Finland is safer. He welcomed that Finland invests 2% of its GDP in defence. “We also welcome the many Finnish contributions to NATO missions and operations. Just actually this week, you started to do air policing out of Romania. That's yet another example of how you contribute to our shared security,” he said. Click here to download the press conference by the NATO Secretary General and the Finnish President. All videos of his visit can be found here, including the discussion hosted by the Atlantic Council of Finland. The webstory is available on the NATO website. Crack the code of NATO’s flag signals Signal flags are colourful and eye-catching, but do you know what they mean? These flags are not just for decoration; they are still a vital way of sending messages across the seas. Each flag represents either letters or numbers that can be used together to form words or codes, or has a specific standalone meaning. By combining them in different ways, ships can communicate with each other, and with their surroundings in a snap. Signal flags have a long and rich history that dates back to the 18th century when they were first used by naval and merchant vessels. Today, they are still used by NATO navies, especially in situations where radio communication is not possible, reliable or secure. Signal flags are not only a practical tool, but also a symbol of maritime culture and tradition. Watch the Chief Yeoman on board the German Navy frigate FGS Bayern explain how Allies still use signal flags to communicate with each other. Click here to download the video. You could also watch the video on YouTube. Press Release 3 June 2024 NATO Secretary General to visit Finland On 5 - 6 June 2024, the NATO Secretary General, Mr Jens Stoltenberg, will travel to Helsinki, Finland. On Wednesday, 5 June, the Secretary General will have a meeting with the President of the Republic of Finland, Mr Alexander Stubb. On Thursday, 6 June, the Secretary General and the President will hold a joint press conference. Mr Stoltenberg and Mr Stubb will also participate in a moderated discussion hosted by the Atlantic Council of Finland.  The Secretary General will also meet the Prime Minister of the Republic of Finland, Mr Petteri Orpo, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms Elina Valtonen, and the Minister of Defence, Mr Antti Häkkänen. Media Advisory 6 June 10:15 (CEST) Joint press conference by the Secretary General and the President of Finland. 12:30 – 13:30 (CEST) Moderated discussion by the Atlantic Council. Media coverage The events will be streamed live on the NATO website. Videos from the visit will be available for download from the NATO Multimedia Portal. Transcripts and photos will be available on the NATO website. For more information: Details about media opportunities and accreditation can be found here. Press contact: Katja Uusi-Hakala, Communications Specialist, tel. +358 295 226 533, press@tpk.fi For general queries: Contact the NATO Press Office   5 June 2024 NATO Secretary General to visit Sweden On 6 - 7 June 2024, the NATO Secretary General, Mr Jens Stoltenberg, will travel to Stockholm, Sweden. On Thursday, 6 June, the Secretary General will be in Stockholm to attend the ceremony to celebrate the Kingdom of Sweden’s National Day, he will also meet with the Prime Minister of Sweden, Mr Ulf Kristersson. On Friday, 7 June, after a military demonstration by the Swedish Armed Forces, the Secretary General will hold a joint press conference with the Prime Minister. Media advisory 7 June 11:30 (CEST)   Joint press conference by the Secretary General and the Prime Minister of Sweden Media coverage The events will be streamed live on the NATO website. Videos from the visit will be available for download from the NATO Multimedia Portal.   Transcripts and photos will be available on the NATO website. For more information: Press contact: Christina Grapenfelt, Communication specialist, christina.grapenfelt@regeringskansliet.se For general queries: Contact the NATO Press Office Press Release 7 June 2024 NATO Secretary General attends B9 Summit in Latvia On Tuesday, 11 June 2024, the NATO Secretary General, Mr Jens Stoltenberg, will visit Riga, Latvia. He will participate in the B9 Summit, hosted by the President of Latvia, Mr Edgars Rinkēvičs, the President of Romania, Mr Klaus Iohannis, and the President of Poland, Mr Andrzej Duda. Mr Stoltenberg will also have bilateral meetings with the President of Latvia and the Prime Minister, Ms Evika Siliņa. Media advisory 08:45 (CEST) Joint press conference by the Secretary General and the President of Latvia 10:30 (CEST) Remarks by the Secretary General at the opening of the B9 Summit 15:00 (CEST) Joint press conference by the Secretary General and the President of Latvia, the President of Romania, and the President of Poland Media coverage The Secretary General’s press conferences and remarks will be streamed live on the NATO website, and broadcast live on EBU World feed and EBU News Exchange. Transcripts of the Secretary General’s engagements, as well as photographs and video, will be available on the NATO website. For more information: Contact the NATO Press Office For more information on the B9 Summit’s programme and media access, please contact Ms Elīna Kresa (elina.kresa@president.lv). For media access requests, please contact prese@president.lv by 9 June.