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-After spending the Cold War devoting most of its time to protecting Western sea lanes, NATO's Supreme Allied Command Atlantic is emerging with a new, more strategic real-world function during a time of widening international conflict. -They tested that concept this month by conducting a war game in Poland that was orchestrated by military strategists working from a Norfolk bunker. -[B]ecause of a shift in philosophy in the 19-nation alliance over the past 10 years, NATO�s sea power ``could be asked to go anywhere in world....�� -The Mount Whitney bristles with communications equipment linking it with U.S. and NATO commands worldwide. -The simulated crisis-response operation involved 17 NATO and 12 Partnership for Peace nations, more than 15,000 personnel, 98 ships and 88 aircraft. -A second, simultaneous operation in Norway, simulated an attack on a NATO-member nation, invoking the alliance's Article 5, which states that an attack on one NATO nation is considered an attack on all. The mock retaliation put 12 NATO countries, nearly 20,000 personnel, 41 ships and 75 aircraft into action. Norfolk NATO command puts new emphasis on warfighting By JACK DORSEY The Virginian-Pilot March 15, 2002 The seagoing arm of NATO is headquartered on the Norfolk-based command ship Mount Whitney. NORFOLK -- After spending the Cold War devoting most of its time to protecting Western sea lanes, NATO's Supreme Allied Command Atlantic is emerging with a new, more strategic real-world function during a time of widening international conflict. Much like Army Gen. Tommy Franks is overseeing the war in Afghanistan from his Central Command headquarters near Tampa, Fla., SAC LANT's Army Gen. William F. Kernan and his NATO staff would be able to conduct a similar war from Norfolk's back yard. They tested that concept this month by conducting a war game in Poland that was orchestrated by military strategists working from a Norfolk bunker. The Norfolk command post is a reinforced and heavily guarded building on the Atlantic Fleet compound, adjacent to the Joint Forces Staff College on Hampton Boulevard. It could be activated if NATO's Supreme Allied Command Europe becomes tied down with missions beyond Bosnia, Kosovo and Macedonia, where it is now involved. What makes the long-distance management of a war possible is Striking Fleet Atlantic, a sea-based arm of Kernan's command. That mobile arm of NATO is based on the command ship Mount Whitney, a Norfolk-based converted amphibious ship now deployed to European waters for the exercise. When activated, NATO orders and strategies would be relayed from Norfolk to officers on the Mount Whitney. The NATO command authority can be transferred ashore, kept aboard the Mount Whitney, or disengaged very quickly. ``It gives you tremendous flexibility,�� Kernan said. ``We always want to maintain the upper hand (so) your adversary doesn�t know how you are going to come at him. Are you going to do it by land, sea or air.�� For the past 10 years, NATO has been contracted by the United Nations to control international crises in such trouble spots as the Balkans, Somalia and the Persian Gulf. SAC LANT, its Norfolk command, is ``the maritime expertise of NATO,�� said Canadian Vice Adm. Duncan Miller, SAC LANT chief of staff. But because of a shift in philosophy in the 19-nation alliance over the past 10 years, NATO�s sea power ``could be asked to go anywhere in world,�� he said. The Mount Whitney bristles with communications equipment linking it with U.S. and NATO commands worldwide. Its crew of 600 was supplemented with an additional 600 representing the United States, NATO and affiliated Partnership for Peace nations during the mock war in Poland, which ended today. The exercise was NATO's largest since the end of the Cold War. Poland, a former Soviet nation, joined NATO three years ago. Aboard the Mount Whitney is Vice Adm. Cutler Dawson, who serves as commander of Striking Fleet Atlantic in his NATO role. Dawson, in his U.S. job, is commander of the 2nd Fleet. For the past two weeks, as his command ship plied the Baltic Sea off the coast of Poland, Dawson led the Strong Resolve exercise. The simulated crisis-response operation involved 17 NATO and 12 Partnership for Peace nations, more than 15,000 personnel, 98 ships and 88 aircraft. In the exercise, a NATO-led force deployed to mediate between two warring countries. A second, simultaneous operation in Norway, simulated an attack on a NATO-member nation, invoking the alliance's Article 5, which states that an attack on one NATO nation is considered an attack on all. The mock retaliation put 12 NATO countries, nearly 20,000 personnel, 41 ships and 75 aircraft into action. Relying heavily on videoconferencing technology, Dawson and his staff communicated daily with Kernan and many of the 400 personnel on his staff who man around-the-clock battle posts in the Strategic Operations Center in Norfolk. British Commodore Jon Welsh, deputy assistant chief of staff for plans at SACLANT, is one of dozens who have spent the past several months planning the exercise. He likes the concept of using the Mount Whitney and its staff overseas. ``We need to look at big, but localized operations, instead of global war,�� Welsh said. NATO is now engaged in more than just the defense of Europe, Kernan said. It must be concerned with the stability of all regions and be prepared for peacekeeping, disaster relief and other missions in many nations. ``The primary reason that SAC LANT existed was to keep the sea lanes open for forces from North America and for supplies necessary for the defense of Europe,�� Kernan said. ``We don�t have a threat like we used to. We�ve changed our vision.�� The most remarkable change is who NATO is dealing with, Kernan said. ``Before, it was basically western Europe and North America against the threat of the Soviet Union on Europe. Today we are partners with all these previous Warsaw Pact countries.�� __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Sports - live college hoops coverage http://sports.yahoo.com/ --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9617B Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
