IRIA News

Chair of the NATO Military Committee Admiral Rob Bauer visited Italy from March 28 to 29, 2023 to strengthen the Alliance’s deterrence and defense posture amid changing security environment.

During his visit, the NATO Military Committee chief met with Chief of Defence of the Italian Armed Forces Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani, Minister of Defence Guido Crosetto, as well as the diplomatic and military advisors for the President and Prime Minister of Italy.

According to the NATO statement, Admiral Bauer during his meeting with Italy’s Chief of Defence Admiral Cavo Dragone discussed the “Alliance’s enhanced deterrence and defense posture, the development of the Regionals Plans and the need for a 360-degree approach to security”.

While meeting with the Italian minister of defense, Admiral Bauer expressed his appreciation of Italy’s strong commitment to NATO’s operations, missions, and activities.

Bauer said, “Across all domains, Italy plays an important role. It contributes to NATO’s multinational battlegroups, air policing, and maritime surveillance; it hosts several NATO entities including Joint Force Command Naples; and currently, two of our missions, the Kosovo Force (KFOR) and NATO Mission in Iraq (NMI) are led by Italian Generals.”

Admiral Bauer also wrote on Twitter that “Italy is playing a major role in NATO – since 1949, it has been standing with fellow Allies and safeguarding peace in Europe and beyond.” The NATO Military Committee Chair added that the main topic of discussions with Italian leaders was the changing “security environment in the Euro-Atlantic area and NATO’s response”.

During his trip, the NATO Military Committee chair also discussed the global implications of Russia’s brutal war in Ukraine, the importance of the transatlantic bond, and the need to work closely with defense industries to increase production capacity.

Admiral Bauer said, “The war in Ukraine is essentially about the international-rules based order. This war affects us all. Therefore we must do everything we can to support Ukraine and to enhance resilience, deterrence, and defense in the Alliance”.

I thanked MoD @GuidoCrosetto for #Italy’s strong commitment to our Alliance.

From #AirPolicing, to contributing troops to BGs in 🇧🇬🇭🇺🇱🇻, leading @NATO_KFOR + @IraqNATO, patrolling our seas, hosting crucial #NATO entities – 🇮🇹 is ensuring @NATO is ready & able across all domains. pic.twitter.com/iPSzVD3sL8

— Admiral Rob Bauer (@CMC_NATO) March 29, 2023

Bauer added that “We need to be aware of all our vulnerabilities. We have to realize that an adversary will use anything to bring us to our knees. Energy, food, [and] migration can be used and are being used as weapons by Russia.”

The NATO Military Committee chief during his meeting with Ambassador Francesco Talo and Lieutenant General Franco Federici, the diplomatic and military advisor’s to the Prime Minister, discussed the situation in the Western Balkans region and emphasized the importance of continuing work with international organizations such as the European Union.

Bauer said that “NATO and the European Union have a strategic partnership, shared values, and different skillsets. This partnership will become even more important once Finland and Sweden become full NATO members. With their accession, NATO will be protecting 96% of the citizens in the European Union.”

According to the NATO statement, after concluding his trip to Rome, the Alliance’s Military Committee chair traveled to Naples to join the NATO Military Committee for an official visit of Joint Force Command (JFC) Naples.

“The visit is part of the adoption of the Concept for the Deterrence and Defence of the Euro-Atlantic Area and the development of the Regional Plans,” the statement highlighted.

Admiral Rob concluded the series of official visits to all three Joint Force Commands in the NATO Command Structure. NATO Military Committee visited JFC Norfolk, in the United States on February 29, and JFC Brunssum, in the Netherlands, on March 23, 2023.