So What Has NATO Been Meeting About?
By Chuck Sudo in News on May 21, 2012 8:30PM
From the "lose sight of the forest for the trees" department: Lost among all the images and words spent on the NATO protests, President Obama and the heads of state of other NATO member nations have spent the past two days discussing short- and long-range plans, and the challenges posed to the military alliance in the 21st century.
The major subject was NATO's continued presence in Afghanistan. President Obama and other NATO leaders spoke this afternoon of an "irreversible transition" of returning control of the nation back to Afghan leaders, but NATO would still have a non-combat presence in the country past 2014.
Obama told media at the summit NATO would set a timetable so that Afghan forces will take the lead in defending their country starting next year. "As the Afghan forces stand up, they won't stand alone," he said.
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen also said the "first step" of a planned missile defense system agreed upon at the 2010 NATO summit in Lisbon was completed and in operation.
Per NATO's website:
"The Interim Capability features a basic command and control capability which has been tested and installed at Headquarters Alliance Air Command in Ramstein, Germany. Allies will provide sensors and interceptors to connect to the system."
Rasmussen told media yesterday:
“It is the first step towards our long-term goal of providing full coverage and protection for all NATO European populations, territory and forces. Our system will link together missile defense assets from different allies - satellites, ships, radars and interceptors - under NATO command and control. It will allow us to defend against threats from outside the Euro-Atlantic area."
NATO expects the system to be fully operation by 2020.
Chicago magazine's Whet Moser, whose coverage of the summit from inside McCormick Place has been indispensable, reported that NATO will not intervene in Syria.
"Let me stress that we are very much concerned about the situation in Syria. But NATO has no intention whatsoever to intervene in Syria. I do believe that the best way forward, the best platform for finding solutions is the Annan plan, and we strongly regret that it seems that the Syrian leadership does not comply with the Annan plan, and we strongly condemn the behavior of the Syrian security forces and the crackdown on the civilian population."
Rasmussen also is seeking funding for NATO in the amount of $4.1 billion Euros, but that funding is uncertain given the slow recovery of the American economy—the United States provides nearly three-quarters of NATO funding—and European member nations, and shifting political climates. Rasmussen said he wasn't sure how much aid would be available, but expressed confidence they could reach their target goal.
In a press conference happening now, Obama declared the summit a success. "This summit reflected the bonds of our nations," he said. "To see the partner countries represented in room, is to see that NATO is a hub of global security."
Obama added that the U.S. is in the process of removing 33,000 troops from Afghanistan by this summer.