HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK ---------------------------
http://www.ptd.net/webnews/wed/ay/Anato-defense.RIE8_CSO.html NATO Set to Overhaul Defenses PAUL AMES, Associated Press Writer -As a key part of the reforms, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld is set to present plans for a new rapid response force of about 20,000 U.S., European and Canadian troops. -The Sept. 11 attacks on the United States accelerated NATO's plans to move away from the traditional Cold War stance of territorial defense by developing faster, more flexible forces able to operate far from their home bases in Europe and North America. -"Given the present international situation, the alliance should be capable of conducting military operations other than the defense of allied territories." WARSAW, Poland (AP) -- NATO must act quickly to refocus its military muscle on the threat from terrorism and rogue states, the chief of the alliance warned on the eve of talks to overhaul the 53-year-old alliance. "The overall goal is both clear and simple -- to ensure that our Atlantic alliance continues its transformation to meet effectively the new threats and challenges," Secretary General George Robertson told NATO defense ministers Monday. He stressed the urgency of the task. "There is no time for empty words or unfulfilled commitments," he said. "The price of failure is simply too high." As a key part of the reforms, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld is set to present plans for a new rapid response force of about 20,000 U.S., European and Canadian troops. Officials said it could comprise elite ground troops, AWACS radar planes, shared allied intelligence, naval units and chemical-biological defenses. The Sept. 11 attacks on the United States accelerated NATO's plans to move away from the traditional Cold War stance of territorial defense by developing faster, more flexible forces able to operate far from their home bases in Europe and North America. "Given the present international situation, the alliance should be capable of conducting military operations other than the defense of allied territories," Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski said Monday evening at a reception for the NATO ministers. "This need follows from the nature of modern threats, and especially the fight against terrorism." However, despite fears of possible nuclear, poison gas or germ warfare attacks from terrorists or hostile governments, many NATO allies have doubts about switching to an aggressive "first strike" doctrine against potential foes. Such concerns are reflected in widespread allied skepticism about a possible U.S.-led attack on Iraq. Rumsfeld is expected to sound out allied opinion on Iraq during the meeting, but stressed the U.S. is not yet looking for military support for any attack. Nevertheless, the Iraq crisis has already revealed rifts within NATO, with German and U.S. officials exchanging barbs over Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's emphatic opposition to American military action in Iraq. In a development that could help soothe relations, Germany is considering a leading role in the international security force in the Afghan capital Kabul when Turkey's mandate runs out at the end of the year. The two-day meeting in the Polish capital is the first by NATO defense ministers in one of the three former Warsaw Pact nations that joined the alliance in 1999 -- Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic. NATO foreign ministers met in Budapest, Hungary, last year and leaders of the 19 allies are due to meet in the Czech capital Prague in November where they are expected to invite up to seven other former-communist nations to join the alliance. __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? New DSL Internet Access from SBC & Yahoo! http://sbc.yahoo.com --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.bacIlu 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 ==^================================================================
