Secretary General calls for NATO to make training a core task for the Alliance in the fight against extremism

In a speech at the Atlantic Council of the United States in Washington, the Secretary General said “to protect our territory, we must be willing to project stability beyond our borders”. He highlighted the importance of using forces to train others to fight as an important lesson from past operations. “In the fight against terrorism, building local capacity is one of the best weapons we have”, he noted. He stressed that “while NATO has to remain an expeditionary alliance, able to deploy forces outside our territory, NATO must also become a more effective training Alliance”.

In his speech, Mr. Stoltenberg proposed three ways that NATO could upgrade its training and capacity building efforts and advance cooperation with regional partners.

First, he said, “We need to make training a core capability for the Alliance. We need a more robust approach. A responsive, ready-to-go capability, so that we can plan, coordinate and deploy advisory support and training missions faster.”

Second, Mr. Stoltenberg proposed stepping up NATO’s support for Iraq. “The ability of an inclusive Iraqi government to restore security is critical to the stability of the whole region. And a stable Iraq is key in the battle against ISIL. Last week, NATO started training Iraqi officers in Jordan. We should further reinforce these efforts”, he said. His third proposal was to take NATO cooperation with regional partners and international organisations to a new level, “complementing bilateral efforts and strengthening the capacity of regional organisations”.

Referring to the importance of the transatlantic bond, Mr Stoltenberg said, “I know that I can count on the continued leadership of the United States. I also know that the mutual interests of Europe and the United States are best served by a strong North Atlantic Alliance. Because the security of Europe and North America is indivisible. And only by standing together will we remain safe and secure”.

On Wednesday, Mr. Stoltenberg also met with members of the Senate Armed Services Committee and from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Capitol Hill. Earlier this week, the Secretary General also met with President Obama and other senior US officials, and paid a visit to Fort Bragg in North Carolina, home of the US Army airborne forces and Special Forces.