NATO Heads of State and Government take decisions to keep North America and Europe safe and secure

Allied Heads of State and Government met in Brussels on Wednesday (11 July 2018) and agreed to further strengthen NATO’s defence and deterrence, step up its role in the fight against terrorism and share the burden of security more fairly. Speaking on the first day of the Summit at NATO Headquarters, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said, “The decisions we have made today show that Europe and North America are working together. NATO is delivering and we are determined to keep our almost one billion citizens safe and secure.”

The twenty nine Allied leaders took a series of measures to continue NATO’s adaptation to a more demanding security environment, including a new readiness initiative which will see thirty mechanised battalions, thirty air squadrons and thirty combat vessels ready for use within thirty days. Allies also enhanced NATO’s command structure with new commands for the Atlantic in Norfolk, Virginia, and for support and logistics in Ulm, Germany. A new Cyber Operations Centre will also be created at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Mons, Belgium.

NATO Heads of State and Government will meet with Finland, Sweden, and the European Union on Wednesday evening to discuss shared security challenges. On Thursday, Allied leaders will meet with the Presidents of Georgia and Ukraine, and the Summit will conclude with a meeting of all nations contributing to the Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan. - More - NATO - Homepage

NATO Heads of State and Government take decisions to keep North America and Europe safe and secure