Less than 15 days after the meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers (see EUROPE 12461/26), their Defence Ministers will once more discuss the Covid-19 pandemic by videoconference on Wednesday 15 April.
The Alliance's partner countries Sweden and Finland and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, were invited to participate in the meeting.
"Defence Ministers will review the steps taken by NATO and the Allies and decide on the next steps", said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday, 14 April. On 2 April, heads of diplomacy had asked the Alliance's military Commander-in-Chief to establish a working group to focus and accelerate military support to the Allies in response to the crisis.
The meeting will also discuss how to maintain the Alliance's deterrence and defence and how to continue its missions and operations throughout the pandemic. "We are taking every possible step to protect our troops", U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchinson told reporters.
As announced by Mr Stoltenberg on 2 April, the ministers will also start studying the medium- and long-term consequences of the pandemic. "It is clear that one of the lessons we all need to learn is a lesson about the importance of resilience", he explained. In his view, the Allies must address issues such as the provision of medical equipment, protective suits, and medicines.
"We also need to consider whether we are too dependent on external production, whether we should produce more of this equipment in our own countries, and also on the issue of stock levels", he added. The Allies' equipment, particularly in terms of transport, could thus be inventoried by the Alliance in order to be able to speed up coordination in the event of a new crisis, according to one source.
Fake news. Finally, NATO members will discuss the fight against disinformation. According to Mr Stoltenberg, they must "work closely together to identify, monitor and report" the spread of disinformation. "The best way to respond to this phenomenon is facts, the truth", the Secretary-General said. And he added: "The best weapon we have against disinformation is a free and independent press".
While Mr Stoltenberg did not name any countries that were the source of the disinformation, Ms Hutchinson pointed to Russia and China. She also felt that more could be done through the Alliance to combat disinformation. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)