This weekend
the heads of state of NATO members meet in the United
States for what is called the NATO
Summit. As we hear about what comes out of the summit we should keep in
mind a few basic principles.
First, NATO has proven
to be incredibly flexible.
It was founded in 1949 to bind together nations of like minds and defend
against an attack by the Warsaw Pact. When the WP went away, there were
many that thought NATO would wither and slowly fade away. What happened
instead was the Alliance
broadened its understanding of security and the threats it faced and … adapted.
Second, if we did not
have NATO, we could not create it today. An Alliance
governed by consensus is a difficult one to create. Everyone has to give
a bit to further the cause of all nations. The US
has led NATO and will continue to do so … but there is power in having many
nations acting in concert … and having the military power to implement their
goals and objectives.
Third, NATO’s
bureaucracy is … well… daunting.
In the years I dealt with Alliance
affairs, we used to refer to NATO as No Action Talk
Only. However for a continent that has fought each other
for thousands of years, talk is not a bad thing. NATO’s bureaucracy
demands attention. There are meetings at every level – Chiefs of Defense,
Foreign Ministers, Defense Ministers. There is a standing military committee and staff and a standing
military structure. Two of the most important
contributions by NATO are often overlooked: the use of just two common
languages (English and French) and the development of doctrine, tactics,
techniques, and procedures. For those of us who have spent decades in the
Asia-Pacific region, we are jealous of what NATO brings to security discussions.
Fourth, NATO had put
the idea of “out-of-area” to bed.
Its operations in Afghanistan
and Libya
have proven that NATO can operate successfully in key areas of the world.
Yes, there are improvements that need to be made … but the first step in any
improvement process is to identify where improvements are needed.
Fifth, many pundits use
NATO and Europe synonymously … forgetting that the US and Canada are both key
players in the Alliance.
We should all remember that when we criticize NATO, we are, in fact,
criticizing ourselves.
Finally, the Secretary
General of the Alliance,
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, penned a piece that appeared in the London Times.
A quote from the piece to interest you:
“Nato has an impressive
record of success that stretches back more than six decades. At this summit we
will take the necessary decisions to ensure that success continues. In this age
of austerity, the choice is stark: Smart Defence or less defence.”
You can find it
at: http://www.afa.org/EdOp/2012/Join_Forces.pdf
Additionally, let me
ask you to troll around NATO’s home page (http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/index.htm).
I think you will learn a lot about the alliance. I certainly did.
For your consideration.
Mike
Michael M. Dunn
President/CEO
Air Force Association
Michael M. Dunn
President/CEO
Air Force Association
3 comments:
NATO was not founded to defend against an attack by the Warsaw Pact. NATO was formed (April 1949) 6 years before the Warsaw Pact came into being (May 1955).
I live in Chicago. All this expense for a summit that takes less meeting time than the AFA meeting in D.C. is a waste. More like a meeting of rich, powerful people, getting together to party.
Mike Dunn tries to make a narrow, feel good,excuse for still having NATO. The facts don't support what he sez. 1. The U.S, The Russians and the British Empire's military destroyed the military of Germany and Italy to the point of unconditional surrender. The spoils of war were divided up between the three. Then the useless europeans needed a body guard. Guess who? To say that anyone except the United States of America is Nato is a lie. The United States has lived up to and beyond every aspect of NATO. One of the main factors in the Vietnam war was to fight the USSR and show them that we would go to any lenght to keep them in their place. This country is broke and can not spend any more hard earned taxpayer dollars on being the unpaid body guard for the slow learners in europe. Kill NATO before it kills us.
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