On Wednesday 17 and Thursday 18 June, NATO Defence Ministers are expected to prepare for a new wave of Covid-19 at their meeting by videoconference.
According to alliance Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, ministers should adopt a new operational plan to strengthen and accelerate coordination. They should also agree on a stockpile of medical equipment to provide immediate assistance to member states and partner countries. Finally, a fund for the acquisition of essential medical supplies will be created.
“These three factors together will enable us to strengthen our response to a possible second wave of the pandemic, in order to ensure that essential aid arrives in the right place at the right time”, Mr Stoltenberg told the press on Tuesday 16 June.
Defence Ministers should also discuss resilience, particularly in critical sectors such as energy, transport and telecommunications. Ministers should agree to update their national guidelines on resilience, with a particular focus on threats related to cybercrime, supply chain security and foreign business ownership and control.
The meeting will also focus on alliance deterrence and defence, including its response to Russia's new nuclear missiles. Ministers could, according to Mr Stoltenberg, agree on a “substantial and balanced” response package of political and military measures. This includes strengthening anti-aircraft and missile defences, building advanced conventional capabilities and adapting exercises and intelligence to meet new challenges, he explained.
The Secretary-General warned, however, that the Alliance has no intention of deploying new land-based nuclear missiles in Europe, nor of engaging in a new arms race that no one would benefit from. He called on all actors, “including Russia and China”, to engage constructively in effective arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation.
Finally, ministers will discuss NATO missions and operations, including in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Discussion expected on US presence in Germany
Even though it is not officially on the agenda, the situation in Libya and the announcement of the withdrawal of American troops from Germany should be addressed. On 15 June, the US President announced that he wanted to halve the US presence in the country, leaving only 25,000 troops.
On this matter, the Secretary-General recalled that the US presence in Europe was good for the United States, as it allowed them to project their power beyond the United States. He said the US had not yet specified when and how the decision would be implemented.
For her part, the American Ambassador to NATO, Kay Bailey Hutchison, felt that it was necessary to have an overview, recalling that American involvement had increased in recent years in Europe, particularly in Poland and the Baltic states. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)