NATO Allies strengthen cooperation in the munitions sector
NATO Allies are increasingly working to share the burden of acquiring expensive defence equipment. Today (29 June 2017), a new cooperation framework has been launched, promising more favourable terms for acquiring critical land based munitions.
Defence Ministers from Belgium, Denmark, France, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, and NATO partner Finland launched the project with the signature of a Letter of Intent. By working together more closely, the participating nations expect to acquire munitions at lower cost, harmonise inventories, and potentially implement common warehousing solutions in the long term.
The new cooperation framework will therefore contribute to more flexible and resilient European munitions stockpiles. NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller welcomed the initiative, saying that it will “increase our ability to share and interchange these munitions, and therefore operate together more smoothly and effectively.”