NATO military chiefs discuss new military plans, war-fighting capabilities

Europe, News May 18, 2024 , by IRIA No Comments

NATO defense officials gathered in Brussels for the Military Committee meeting on May 16, 2024. The meeting focused on the executability of the Alliance’s new defense plans, NATO’s warfighting transformation, and NATO’s continued support of Ukraine.

During the opening of the NATO Military Committee session, Chair of the Military Committee Admiral Rob Bauer, alongside NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, emphasized that “NATO is stronger and readier than it has ever been. And it’s growing stronger by the day.”

Admiral Bauer added, “We have it within ourselves to build on the ground-breaking work that has already been done. The integration of NATO and national military planning will enable us to do exactly what the NATO flag symbolizes: all Allies will follow the same compass.”

In his opening remarks, the Secretary-General conveyed that he was shocked and appalled by the shooting of Prime Minister Robert Fico. “This violates every idea of democracy. In democracies we can disagree, we can have different opinions, but violence is absolutely unacceptable.”

Admiral Rob Bauer said, “The world is at a historical crossroads, not only between democracy and autocracy. This is very much also about impunity versus accountability.”

*^{Chair of the NATO Military Committee Admiral Rob Bauer with Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on May 10, 2023. (Image Credit: Twitter)}*

The first session of the meeting focused on NATO’s warfighting transformation. The Chiefs of Defense met with General Philippe Lavigne, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT), and discussed the future of multi-domain operations, the adaptation of NATO’s Command and Control, and the NATO Defense Planning Process.

In a separate session General Cavoli, Supreme Allied Commander Europe – SACEUR, briefed the participant on the executability of the DDA Family of Plans and the way ahead regarding NATO’s deterrence and defense posture. Allies are actively working on making the new defense plans fully executable.

The NATO-Ukraine Council also met in the Chiefs of Defense format. Major General Anatoliy Barhylevych, Chief of Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, provided an update on the ground situation to the NATO Chiefs of Defense. They reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine, highlighting the bravery and sacrifice of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Today the Ukrainian military leadership briefed the #NATOMC on the situation on the ground.#Ukraine has shown its ability to achieve unprecedented success on the battlefield.

NATO will continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes. pic.twitter.com/hLBPTge1y3
— Admiral Rob Bauer (@CMC_NATO) May 16, 2024

Admiral Bauer remarked that Ukraine has shown the world its capacity for unprecedented battlefield success, stating, “There is nothing they cannot do. All they need is our help.”

The meeting and plea for support for Ukrainian forces comes at a time when Russia is making significant advances in Eastern Ukraine. Russian forces have now penetrated the border area near Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city.

By entering Vovchansk, around 5 kilometers inside Ukraine, and capturing large areas of Ukrainian territory in the Kharkiv region, Russian forces might be attempting to establish a buffer zone to prevent Ukraine’s cross-border attacks. Observing the relatively weak state of Ukraine’s defenses, they may also have much more ambitious plans.