Tag: Brussels

Discover the role of a NATO maritime expert

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September 19, 2019 – Paul Beckley grew up in Long Island in south-eastern New York State. When he was a young boy, he liked watching the fishing boats entering the marina. “I loved the smell of the salt air,” says Paul. “Few years after, I joined the US Naval Academy. I was 18 years old.” “Imagine 8,000 personnel of both ships doing at the same time complex maneuvers and sharing of resources between their naval vessels to host their respective aircraft. Everything went well. It was an amazing and humbling…

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106th NATO Electronic Warfare Advisory Committee (NEWAC) Convenes in Brussels

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June 7, 2019 – On 5th to 7th June, the NATO Electronic Warfare Advisory Committee held its 106th Plenary meeting at the NATO Headquarters in Brussels. Since its inception in 1949, NATO has continuously evolved by recognizing potential threats and adapting to counter and defend against them. Electronic Warfare is just one of many areas where NATO is working to ensure that it is prepared to continue to uphold its founding principles and pursue its core tasks. The NATO Electronic Warfare Advisory Committee’s mission is to enhance NATO’s Electronic Warfare…

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NATO Defence Ministers conclude two days of discussions in Brussels

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February 14, 2019 – NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg wrapped up two days of important discussions between Allied Defence Ministers in Brussels today (Thursday 14 February 2019). Ministers discussed arms control, current operations and missions, burden-sharing, and European defense. The Secretary General described the Alliance as “in good shape” as its approaches its 70th anniversary in Washington in April. All Allies agreed that Russia’s violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty poses a significant threat to transatlantic security. The Secretary General called again on Russia to take this last opportunity…

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NATO 2019 Bureaucracy Budget to be a Whopping €250.5 Million

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December 19, 2018 – NATO Allies have agreed the civil and military budgets for 2019. At a meeting of the North Atlantic Council on Tuesday (18 December 2018), Allies agreed a civil budget of €250.5 million and a military budget of €1.395 billion for 2019. All member countries contribute to these budgets, according to an agreed cost-sharing formula based on Gross National Income. In the face of a more demanding security environment, NATO continues to adapt – including through the modernization of the NATO Command Structure, and a functional review…

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NATO Foreign Ministers conclude two-day meeting in Brussels

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December 5, 2018 – NATO Foreign Ministers concluded two days of meetings in Brussels on Wednesday (5 December 2018), focused on issues including the INF Treaty, the Sea of Azov, the Western Balkans, Afghanistan, and the Alliance’s new training mission in Iraq. At the conclusion of the meeting, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg noted that Foreign Ministers will next meet in Washington in April 2019, marking 70 years since the Alliance’s founding. He added that Allied leaders will also meet later next year. On Tuesday, NATO Foreign Ministers agreed that Russia…

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MCR Wins NATO Contract

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October 18, 2018 – MCR, LLC has been awarded a five-year Advisory and Assistance Services (AAS) framework contract by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to provide a wide spectrum of scientific, engineering, project management, acquisition, and military functional expertise. MCR is a premier provider of integrated program management services to the US government and Allied nations and is continuing to expand in global markets through its European based subsidiary, MCR Global. “This award is a validation of the great work we have been doing at NATO for over twenty years.…

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Thirteen Allies to cooperate on the introduction of Maritime Unmanned Systems

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October 3, 2018 – At our Summit in Brussels in July, NATO leaders endorsed the implementation of NATO’s reinforced maritime posture. In support of this, on Wednesday (3 October 2018), Defence Ministers from thirteen NATO Allies signed a declaration of intent to cooperate on the introduction of Maritime Unmanned Systems. This initiative will enable Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States to pool their resources, their talent and ingenuity to create better, more flexible and more interoperable unmanned, maritime…

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

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Allied Heads of State and Government met in Brussels on Wednesday (11 July 2018) and agreed to further strengthen NATO’s defense 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…

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NATO Secretary General: the transatlantic bond keeps us strong and secure

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Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg gave a pre-Summit address on Thursday (21 June 2018) in which he explained the importance of the transatlantic bond and how it is being strengthened in NATO. Speaking at Lancaster House in London, Mr. Stoltenberg highlighted how defence ties between North America and Europe have grown closer. He also explained how the principle at the heart of Alliance remains strong, “Again and again, we unite around our common goal. We stand together. We protect each other.” NATO’s 29 Heads of State and Government will meet in…

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Shipping industry presses to undermine European Ship Recycling Regulation

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On Monday, the EU member states’ experts on ship recycling met in Brussels to discuss the latest developments, six months ahead of the application of the 2013 Ship Recycling Regulation. With the recent decision by the Chinese government to stop the import of end-of-life ships for scrapping, the shipping industry is quick to lament that there will not be enough recycling capacity and that there will be too few options for them under the EU List of approved recycling facilities. The industry claims that the standard set by the EU…

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Payne Attends NATO Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Brussels

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Minister for Defence Senator the Hon Marise Payne attended NATO Defence Ministers’ meetings and a series of bilateral engagements in Brussels on 8 and 9 June. Minister Payne attended a session on the Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan and a meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh (ISIL) in Iraq and Syria. Minister Payne said the meetings were important for advancing Australia’s strategic interests in a forum of likeminded partners committed to upholding the rules-based global order. “I am very pleased with the discussions at NATO Headquarters today. The…

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Belgium and the Netherlands ratify the purchase of naval vessels

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Google Translation The Netherlands and Belgium jointly purchase multipurpose frigates and mine control vessels. On June 8th, Minister Ank Bijleveld-Schouten and her Belgian colleague Steven Vandeput take the next step with the signing of 2 Memoranda of Understanding. This happened in the margins of the 2-day NATO meeting that took place in Brussels since yesterday. The government recently announced that it replaced the M-frigates and mine-fighting vessels. Belgium takes the lead in the purchase of the 12 mine-fighting vessels, of which 6 for the Netherlands, and the associated unmanned systems.…

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NATO-Russia Council meets in Brussels

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The NATO-Russia Council met at Ambassadorial level in Brussels on Thursday (31 May 2018). The NATO-Russia Council had an open exchange on several topics, including the situation in and around Ukraine, issues related to military activities, transparency and risk reduction, as well as asymmetric techniques as aspects of doctrine and strategy. NATO and Russia both briefed on major upcoming exercises. NATO’s approach to Russia is consistent. Practical cooperation was suspended in 2014 due to Russia’s aggressive actions in Ukraine. At the same time, channels for political dialogue are open and…

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Britain Pledges 100 Bureaucrats to NATO

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Speaking at a meeting of NATO Defence Ministers in Brussels, Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson set out his ambition for a modern NATO that delivers on its commitments. Mr Williamson signaled that the UK will meet its commitments, including an uplift of around one hundred personnel in our contribution to NATO’s modernized Command Structure – the precise numbers will be determined through further work between now and the Summit. This will help to ensure that NATO can meet the security challenges of today and tomorrow. Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said, “NATO…

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NATO Secretary General discusses Alliance priorities and adaptation with senior commanders

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Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg attended the Commander’s Conference at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe today (30 November 2017). Hosted by General Curtis M. Scaparrotti, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, the Secretary General and NATO’s military leaders spoke about the Alliance’s continuing adaptation to meet today’s security challenges.

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