CONCERN REMAINS OVER INCREASED VIOLENCE IN UKRAINE

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 

U.S., NATO Remain Concerned About Situation in Ukraine

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 15, 2014 – The United States is concerned about reports of increased violence in Ukraine, and continues to call on Russia to de-escalate the situation, Pentagon officials said today.

Meanwhile, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen echoed the U.S. concern during a media availability in Luxembourg today.

There has been no substantial change in the number or composition of the Russian forces on Ukraine’s eastern and southern borders, Army Col. Steve Warren, a Defense Department spokesman, told reporters at the Pentagon.

“The Russians continue to have tens of thousands of troops arrayed along the Ukrainian border,” he said, “and again I would like to reiterate that we have repeatedly called on the Russians to withdraw those troops from the border and help de-escalate the situation in Ukraine.”

Ukrainian troops are moving to flush pro-Russian militias from cities in the eastern part of the country. In a call with President Barack Obama, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he is not interfering in Ukraine, and that U.S. contentions that Russia is interfering are based on erroneous information.

“The American government is under no illusions that the Russian government continues to array its troops along the Ukrainian border,” Warren said. White House spokesman Jay Carney said the evidence is compelling that Russia is supporting these efforts to destabilize Ukraine.

The United States continues to support Ukraine, Warren said, and U.S. officials have conducted defense consultations with Ukraine recently. The consultations did not address current operations, he added. The senior Defense Department representative at the talks was Evelyn Farkas, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia.

Rasmussen said NATO is concerned about the continued violence by small groups of separatists, and Russia’s continued military pressure on Ukraine’s borders. “I call on Russia to de-escalate the crisis, to pull back its troops from Ukraine’s borders, to stop de-stabilizing the situation in Ukraine, and make clear that it doesn’t support the violent actions of pro-Russian separatists,” the secretary general said.

“Russia should stop being part of the problem, and start being part of the solution,” he added.

The NATO chief said the alliance is considering further steps to strengthen collective defense. This could include appropriate deployments, he said.

SECRETARY GENERAL RASMUSSEN IS URGING AFGHAN GOVERNMENT TO SIGN SECURITY ACCORD

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Rasmussen Urges Afghanistan to Sign Security Agreement
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 3, 2013 – NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen opened the NATO Foreign Ministerial in Brussels today welcoming the Loya Jirga’s endorsement of the U.S.-Afghan security accord and urging the Afghan government give it a “timely signature.”

“The recent Loya Jirga showed very clearly the progress Afghanistan is making,” he said. “The Afghan forces did a remarkable job in ensuring that a gathering of such scale took place in a peaceful manner. And the participants delivered a clear message for continued partnership and cooperation.”

Speaking to reporters at the two-day ministerial, Rasmussen called the bilateral agreement important to the legal framework for the NATO-led mission to train, advise and assist the Afghan security forces post-2014.

“We will be working closely with the Afghan government in the weeks ahead on this issue,” he said.

Afghan security forces “are already quite capable. But we do believe that they need our continued assistance, and that’s why we are prepared to deploy the so-called Resolute Support mission to Afghanistan,” Rasmussen said.
“My concern is that if we are not able to deploy a training mission to Afghanistan, it may have a negative impact on the security situation … [and] on the provision of financial aid to Afghanistan,” he said. It could also jeopardize pledges to finance the Afghan security forces and provide development assistance to the country, he noted.

Everything, he emphasized, hinges on a signed security agreement.
“It is clear that if there is no signature on the legal agreement, there can be no deployment and the planned assistance will be put at risk,” Rasmussen said. “It is my firm hope and intention, therefore, to continue our efforts to support Afghanistan once these agreements are concluded.”

Attendees at the foreign ministers’ sessions in Brussels are meeting with International Security Assistance Force partners and the Afghan foreign and interior ministers to discuss current operations and get updated on preparations for next year’s elections, he reported.

They kicked off meetings today with discussing about NATO’s summit next year in the United Kingdom. The summit is expected to focus on ensuring the alliance remains “fit, outward-looking and ready to respond to the challenges the future will bring,” Rasmussen said.

“There, we will chart the future of this alliance,” he said.

UN SECRETARY GENERAL COMMENTS ON PROGRESS IN AFGHANISTAN

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Rasmussen: Progress in Afghanistan Remarkable, Undeniable
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 10, 2013 - The partial government shutdown has not affected U.S. contributions to the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan or other NATO missions, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told reporters in Brussels today.

"So far we haven't seen any negative impact on U.S. contributions to NATO-led operations," Rasmussen said, noting that U.S. military members have been exempted from the shutdown.

Speaking at his monthly news conference, the secretary general also dismissed reported allegations by Afghan President Hamid Karzai that NATO hasn't done enough in Afghanistan.

"Thanks to the immense efforts and the solemn sacrifices of the troops and civilians from ISAF contributing nations, Afghanistan has come a long way in the past decade," Rasmussen said. "The changes have been remarkable, and our investment in lives and resources has been unprecedented. Nobody can deny that. And this effort should be respected."

Rasmussen said he is struck by the Afghan people's recognition of NATO's contribution.

"We have sacrificed much in blood and treasure to assist the Afghan people, and ... whenever I meet Afghans, they express appreciation for that," he said.

While working to ensure the sovereignty of the Afghan state, NATO and other troop-contributing nations in Afghanistan have helped build a strong Afghan National Security Force that now numbers about 350,000, Rasmussen said.

"We have seen the resilience and the growing professionalism of Afghan forces," he said. "And I am confident that the Afghan security forces will be able to take full responsibility by the end of 2014 as planned."

Meanwhile, Afghanistan is preparing to hold elections next year that will be fully led and managed by the Afghans.

"Six months before the polls, preparations are more advanced than for any other elections in Afghanistan's modern history," Rasmussen said.

The registration of candidates was recently completed, with a multi-ethnic lineup of presidential tickets, he said. In addition, women are actively participating as voters, election workers and candidates -- with at least one woman vying for office in every provincial council.

Rasmussen emphasized the importance of "transparent, inclusive and credible" elections, with the results acceptable to the Afghan people so "the political process provides the certainty and predictability that both Afghans and the international community expect."

He welcomed Great Britain's offer to host the 2014 NATO Summit at a turning point for the alliance as it prepares to complete the longest and largest operation in its history.

"This will be a critical opportunity to take stock of our ongoing work, including in Afghanistan, and to look to the future," he said.

"The summit will also ensure that we continue to build on the lessons that we have learned, to strengthen the alliance and keep it ready to deal with modern security challenges," Rasmussen said.

"It will reaffirm the vital transatlantic bond on which NATO was founded," he added. "And it will further enhance our partnerships, which are key to our future success in a world where risks cross borders and we are all interconnected."

PRESIDENT OBAMA AND NATO SECRETARY GENERAL RASMUSSEN MAKE REMARKS TO REPORTERS

 

President Barack Obama and NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen meet in the White House Oval Office, May 31, 2013. NATO photo

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Obama, Rasmussen Praise Afghan Forces, Look to Future
By Nick Simeone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 31, 2013 - Afghan forces are just several weeks away from taking the lead in combat operations from NATO-led forces across Afghanistan, President Barack Obama said today after meeting with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen at the White House.

Speaking to reporters, Obama called the imminent security transition a "new milestone," one in which NATO's International Security Assistance Force will shift to a training, assisting, and advising role, while U.S and alliance forces continue to draw down ahead of the end of the NATO combat mission in 2014.

"We've seen great progress in the Afghan national security forces. We want to continue that progress," Obama said. "And we are now looking over the next several weeks to a new milestone ... where we are transitioning to Afghan lead for combat operations."

Declaring that "our goal is in sight," Rasmussen noted the progress the Afghan army and police have made over the past year, in the time since NATO leaders agreed at a summit in Chicago to set the middle of 2013 as the goal for transitioning combat operations across the country. Rasmussen said the alliance now is working to establish a new training mission to continue assisting Afghan forces after the current NATO mission ends.

"It will be a very different mission, a noncombat mission with a significantly lower number of troops and trainers," he said. "So we are determinedly moving towards our goal: an Afghanistan that can stand on its own feet."

To that end, Obama and Rasmussen announced NATO will hold a summit next year to determine how the alliance can continue partnering with the Afghan government. Obama said the summit will not only "underscore this final chapter in our Afghan operations, but also paint a picture of a future whereby we're partnering with the Afghan government on behalf of the Afghan people and on behalf of world security" to ensure the country does not become a base for terrorism in the future.

On other matters, Obama and Rasmussen discussed making sure Libya, where several NATO countries intervened to protect civilians from former ruler Moammar Gadhafi in 2011, also does not become a haven for terrorists.

"I think NATO has an important role to play on that front," Obama said, adding that he knows Rasmussen recently met with Libya's prime minister and had discussions about how NATO could provide assistance.

NATO SECRETARY GENERAL RASMUSSEN SAYS NATO MUST 'KEEP OPERATIONAL EDGE'

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Rasmussen: NATO Must be Ready for Any Future Threat
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

Munich, Feb. 2, 2013 - On the second day of the Munich Security Conference, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told the international audience here that the end of the war in Afghanistan gives the alliance a chance to plan for the future.

The end in 2014 of NATO's biggest operation gives NATO a chance to generate key capabilities, engage robustly with new geopolitical realities and rebalance its priorities and commitments, he said.

"In other words, an opportunity to plan for the future," Rasmussen said, adding that such a plan must determine what NATO will do next, how NATO will do it, and what kind of alliance it will be.

"We will continue to respond to crises whenever and wherever the allies judge their security interests are at stake because this is our core business," the secretary-general said.

"When I look at our world, I see an arc of crises stretching from the Sahel to Central Asia," he added, "[but] ... this does not mean we will have to intervene everywhere nor that we are set for confrontation. But it does mean we must stand ready to deter and defend against any threat."

Rasmussen said NATO must keep its operational edge and retain a complete range of capabilities, with increased importance for missile and cyber defense and special operations forces.

"Missile defense is a core element of our collective defense," he added, "and the deployment of Patriot missiles to Turkey is a real response to a real threat."

Many European allies contribute to NATO's missile defense system, but Rasmussen said he can envision European navies upgrading their ships with missile defense radars and interceptors so they can deploy alongside United States vessels.

"We must also improve our cyber resilience," he said, describing a potentially critical role for NATO in defining a common training approach among allies and in providing expert help to allies who come under cyber attack.

"We will also need forces with the skills and speed to act decisively," Rasmussen said, envisioning a vital role for NATO's new Special Operations Forces Headquarters in planning and coordinating missions and improving the ability of allied special operations forces to work together.

To make sure that NATO remains the gold standard of Euro-Atlantic security into the 21st century, he said, the alliance must build on its gains from operations like its International Security Assistance Force mission in Afghanistan "rather than cash in what some may perceive as a post-ISAF dividend."

A better choice is to reinvest the ISAF dividend in defense for a maximum return, Rasmussen said, including through NATO's Connected Forces -- which seeks to create forces that act and think as one -- and its Smart Defense initiatives.

NATO's multinational response force can deploy quickly when needed, but Rasmussen wants the alliance to revitalize that force, he said, "to keep our ability to train and operate together as allies and with partners, take advantage of the United States' decision to rotate dedicated units to Europe and conduct more demanding, realistic and frequent exercises."

The NATO Response Force should become the engine of the alliance's future readiness, he added, and multinational cooperation is key to keeping costs down and capabilities strong.

Rasmussen sees NATO connecting more closely with the alliance's most able operational partners, reinforcing its cooperation with the United Nations and the European Union, deepening its strategic relationship with Russia and shifting from operational engagement to operational readiness.

Such readiness and flexibility come at a cost, he added.

"In the decade since 2001, the U.S. share of NATO defense expenditure has increased from 63 percent to 72 percent," the secretary-general said, and in the last few years all but three European allies have cut their defense budgets.

"I am concerned about this gap in defense spending but I am even more concerned by the gap in some key capabilities," he added.

To correct this, Rasmussen said, he would like to see the alliance moving toward a day when no single ally provides more than 50 percent of certain critical capabilities.

"This will require European allies to do more," Rasmussen said, adding that a strong European contribution to NATO's capabilities will sustain a strong U.S. commitment to NATO.

All allies must also show the political will to support each other, living up to NATO's role as the political forum for transatlantic consultations on common security concerns, he said, " ... because now and after 2014, we can only stay successful together."

NATO SECRETARY GENERAL RASMUSSEN DISCUSSES SPENDING AT NEWS CONFERENCE

Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Secretary General: Hold Line on Spending, Boost Capabilities
By Amaani Lyle
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 31, 2013 - Emerging powers increasing defense spending as NATO allies decrease theirs poses a risk to the alliance's military capacity and political credibility, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in Brussels today.

During a news conference at the alliance's headquarters, Rasmussen said NATO's 28 nations must hold the line on defense spending while working together to close gaps in capabilities.

Though these gaps, potentially widened by the rise of emerging powers, could limit Europe's ability to work with North America, Rasmussen acknowledged that sound fiscal policy also is sound security policy.

"Governments must reduce deficits and borrowing. You can't be safe if you are broke," the secretary general said. "But in turn, our prosperity rests on our security. We have to invest to keep our societies safe, because security threats won't go away while we focus on fixing our economies."

Defense spending decisions now will have an impact on the security of the next generation, the secretary general said.

"There is a price to pay for security," he added, "but the cost of insecurity is unacceptable."

In releasing his annual report, the secretary general highlighted the establishment of Patriot missile batteries to protect more than 3.5 million people against attacks in Turkey as a demonstration of significant improvement in the allies' ability to deploy and sustain forces in recent years.

"We have started this new year with a strong signal of solidarity with Turkey," he said. "This shows NATO's steadfast commitment to the security of allies, and it shows why defense matters."

NATO CHIEF SAYS TROOP NUMBERS WILL NOT CHANGE IN KOSOVO

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, left, speaks with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, right, before a conference of NATO defense ministers in Brussels, Oct. 10, 2012. Panetta is scheduled to meet with several defense ministers during the two-day event. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Troop Numbers to Remain Stable for Kosovo, Rasmussen Says
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 10, 2012 - NATO has no plans to reduce its Kosovo Force, Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in Brussels today.

About 1,650 troops, including around 760 Americans, serve in the Kosovo Force, known as KFOR. Alliance defense ministers discussed the situation in the country during their meeting this week and will not make any changes in the make-up of the force, Rasmussen told reporters as the NATO defense ministers conference wrapped up.

"We agreed that KFOR continues to play an indispensable role in Kosovo," he said. "And ministers made clear that they remain committed to sustaining that role."

The ministers agreed that the security situation and freedom of movement have improved in Kosovo over the last six months, "but that we must remain vigilant and strong," he said.

NATO ministers welcome renewed contacts between Serbian and Kosovar officials, and NATO nations are fully committed to furthering that dialogue, the secretary general noted. "All need to live up to their responsibilities and move the whole region forward," he said.

NATO has no plans to reduce the troop presence in Kosovo, Rasmussen said. "We have the ambition to gradually reduce our troop presence in Kosovo as the security situation, hopefully, continues to improve," Rasmussen said. "But because of the volatile situation we have witnessed during the recent year, we have postponed the decision to reduce the number of troops."

The secretary general reiterated that what happens in Kosovo will be dictated by the security situation on the ground. "We will not take any step that can deteriorate the security situation in Kosovo," he said. "We will stay committed to fully implementing the United Nations Security Council's mandate to ensure a safe and secure environment and freedom of movement for all people in Kosovo."

Military commanders may change where troops are deployed in the country, Rasmussen said. "You will see some rebalancing in the coming months with a stronger focus on the north of Kosovo, taking into account the situation we have witnessed there," he said.

NATO SECRETARY GENERAL RASMUSSEN'S REMARKS ON 'SMART DEFENSE INITIATIVE'

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

NATO Ministers Discuss 'Smart Defense' Initiative
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9, 2012 - NATO defense ministers held discussions in Brussels today on the alliance's "Smart Defense" initiative and how to provide security during tough financial times, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said.

Rasmussen briefed reporters on the defense ministers' consultations, in which Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta is participating.

"This is one of the most urgent challenges facing our alliance today," Rasmussen said, noting that during May's summit in Chicago, the alliance's heads of state and government endorsed the program for the NATO militaries to work together more closely.

"Today, we took stock of the progress we have made, and we discussed the work which lies ahead," he said.

Because NATO nations must work together to develop and field technologies and capabilities that one country alone cannot afford, the summit yielded a list of more than 20 multinational projects "that will give allies more capabilities, more effectively," Rasmussen said.

Smart Defense includes projects related to use of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets, and it also looks toward improving joint logistics and maintenance. Other projects stress better force protection and better training.

Since the Chicago summit, Rasmussen said, NATO has kept up the Smart Defense momentum, agreeing to two more projects. "Over the coming months, I would expect us to agree to around 10 more, and dozens more ideas are under consideration," he added.

The effort reaches across the alliance, and all are involved. The secretary general stressed that the European allies are playing a central role in Smart Defense. "European countries are involved in every one of the 24 projects we have set in motion so far," he said. European nations are leading two-thirds of the projects, and one-third of the projects are purely European, he said.

The interest shows European allies are aware of their security responsibilities and are looking for smart ways to strengthen the alliance, the secretary general said.