PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Hello, Berlin!  (Applause.)  Thank you, Chancellor Merkel, for your leadership, your friendship, and the example of your life — from a child of the East to the leader of a free and united Germany.

As I’ve said, Angela and I don’t exactly look like previous German and American leaders.  But the fact that we can stand here today, along the fault line where a city was divided, speaks to an eternal truth:  No wall can stand against the yearning of justice, the yearnings for freedom, the yearnings for peace that burns in the human heart.  (Applause.) 

Mayor Wowereit, distinguished guests, and especially the people of Berlin and of Germany — thank you for this extraordinarily warm welcome.  In fact, it’s so warm and I feel so good that I’m actually going to take off my jacket, and anybody else who wants to, feel free to.  (Applause.)  We can be a little more informal among friends.  (Applause.) 

As your Chancellor mentioned, five years ago I had the privilege to address this city as senator.  Today, I’m proud to return as President of the United States.  (Applause.)  And I bring with me the enduring friendship of the American people, as well as my wife, Michelle, and Malia and Sasha.  (Applause.)  You may notice that they’re not here.  The last thing they want to do is to listen to another speech from me.  (Laughter.)  So they’re out experiencing the beauty and the history of Berlin.  And this history speaks to us today.

Here, for thousands of years, the people of this land have journeyed from tribe to principality to nation-state; through Reformation and Enlightenment, renowned as a “land of poets and thinkers,” among them Immanuel Kant, who taught us that freedom is the “unoriginated birthright of man, and it belongs to him by force of his humanity.”

Here, for two centuries, this gate stood tall as the world around it convulsed — through the rise and fall of empires; through revolutions and republics; art and music and science that reflected the height of human endeavor, but also war and carnage that exposed the depths of man’s cruelty to man.

It was here that Berliners carved out an island of democracy against the greatest of odds.  As has already been mentioned, they were supported by an airlift of hope, and we are so honored to be joined by Colonel Halvorsen, 92 years old — the original “candy bomber.”  We could not be prouder of him.  (Applause.)  I hope I look that good, by the way, when I’m 92.  (Laughter.) 

During that time, a Marshall Plan seeded a miracle, and a North Atlantic Alliance protected our people.  And those in the neighborhoods and nations to the East drew strength from the knowledge that freedom was possible here, in Berlin — that the waves of crackdowns and suppressions might therefore someday be overcome. 

Today, 60 years after they rose up against oppression, we remember the East German heroes of June 17th.  When the wall finally came down, it was their dreams that were fulfilled.  Their strength and their passion, their enduring example remind us that for all the power of militaries, for all the authority of governments, it is citizens who choose whether to be defined by a wall, or whether to tear it down.  (Applause.)

And we’re now surrounded by the symbols of a Germany reborn.  A rebuilt Reichstag and its glistening glass dome.  An American embassy back at its historic home on Pariser Platz.  (Applause.)  And this square itself, once a desolate no man’s land, is now open to all.  So while I am not the first American President to come to this gate, I am proud to stand on its Eastern side to pay tribute to the past.  (Applause.)

For throughout all this history, the fate of this city came down to a simple question:  Will we live free or in chains?  Under governments that uphold our universal rights, or regimes that suppress them?  In open societies that respect the sanctity of the individual and our free will, or in closed societies that suffocate the soul?

As free peoples, we stated our convictions long ago. As Americans, we believe that “all men are created equal” with the right to life and liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  And as Germans, you declared in your Basic Law that “the dignity of man is inviolable.”  (Applause.)  Around the world, nations have pledged themselves to a Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which recognizes the inherent dignity and rights of all members of our human family.

And this is what was at stake here in Berlin all those years.  And because courageous crowds climbed atop that wall, because corrupt dictatorships gave way to new democracies, because millions across this continent now breathe the fresh air of freedom, we can say, here in Berlin, here in Europe — our values won.  Openness won.  Tolerance won.  And freedom won here in Berlin.  (Applause.)

And yet, more than two decades after that triumph, we must acknowledge that there can, at times, be a complacency among our Western democracies.  Today, people often come together in places like this to remember history — not to make it.  After all, we face no concrete walls, no barbed wire.  There are no tanks poised across a border.  There are no visits to fallout shelters.  And so sometimes there can be a sense that the great challenges have somehow passed.  And that brings with it a temptation to turn inward — to think of our own pursuits, and not the sweep of history; to believe that we’ve settled history’s accounts, that we can simply enjoy the fruits won by our forebears.

But I come here today, Berlin, to say complacency is not the character of great nations.  Today’s threats are not as stark as they were half a century ago, but the struggle for freedom and security and human dignity — that struggle goes on.  And I’ve come here, to this city of hope, because the tests of our time demand the same fighting spirit that defined Berlin a half-century ago.

Chancellor Merkel mentioned that we mark the anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s stirring defense of freedom, embodied in the people of this great city.  His pledge of solidarity — “Ich bin ein Berliner” — (applause) — echoes through the ages.  But that’s not all that he said that day.  Less remembered is the challenge that he issued to the crowd before him:  “Let me ask you,” he said to those Berliners, “let me ask you to lift your eyes beyond the dangers of today” and “beyond the freedom of merely this city.”  Look, he said, “to the day of peace with justice, beyond yourselves and ourselves to all mankind.”

President Kennedy was taken from us less than six months after he spoke those words.  And like so many who died in those decades of division, he did not live to see Berlin united and free.  Instead, he lives forever as a young man in our memory.  But his words are timeless because they call upon us to care more about things than just our own self-comfort, about our own city, about our own country.  They demand that we embrace the common endeavor of all humanity.

And if we lift our eyes, as President Kennedy called us to do, then we’ll recognize that our work is not yet done.  For we are not only citizens of America or Germany — we are also citizens of the world.  And our fates and fortunes are linked like never before.

We may no longer live in fear of global annihilation, but so long as nuclear weapons exist, we are not truly safe.  (Applause.)  We may strike blows against terrorist networks, but if we ignore the instability and intolerance that fuels extremism, our own freedom will eventually be endangered.  We may enjoy a standard of living that is the envy of the world, but so long as hundreds of millions endure the agony of an empty stomach or the anguish of unemployment, we’re not truly prosperous.  (Applause.)

I say all this here, in the heart of Europe, because our shared past shows that none of these challenges can be met unless we see ourselves as part of something bigger than our own experience.  Our alliance is the foundation of global security.  Our trade and our commerce is the engine of our global economy.  Our values call upon us to care about the lives of people we will never meet.  When Europe and America lead with our hopes instead of our fears, we do things that no other nations can do, no other nations will do.  So we have to lift up our eyes today and consider the day of peace with justice that our generation wants for this world. 

I’d suggest that peace with justice begins with the example we set here at home, for we know from our own histories that intolerance breeds injustice.  Whether it’s based on race, or religion, gender or sexual orientation, we are stronger when all our people — no matter who they are or what they look like — are granted opportunity, and when our wives and our daughters have the same opportunities as our husbands and our sons.  (Applause.) 

When we respect the faiths practiced in our churches and synagogues, our mosques and our temples, we’re more secure.  When we welcome the immigrant with his talents or her dreams, we are renewed.  (Applause.)  When we stand up for our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters and treat their love and their rights equally under the law, we defend our own liberty as well.  We are more free when all people can pursue their own happiness.  (Applause.)  And as long as walls exist in our hearts to separate us from those who don’t look like us, or think like us, or worship as we do, then we’re going to have to work harder, together, to bring those walls of division down. 

Peace with justice means free enterprise that unleashes the talents and creativity that reside in each of us; in other models, direct economic growth from the top down or relies solely on the resources extracted from the earth.  But we believe that real prosperity comes from our most precious resource — our people.  And that’s why we choose to invest in education, and science and research.  (Applause.) 

And now, as we emerge from recession, we must not avert our eyes from the insult of widening inequality, or the pain of youth who are unemployed.  We have to build new ladders of opportunity in our own societies that — even as we pursue new trade and investment that fuels growth across the Atlantic. 

America will stand with Europe as you strengthen your union.  And we want to work with you to make sure that every person can enjoy the dignity that comes from work — whether they live in Chicago or Cleveland or Belfast or Berlin, in Athens or Madrid, everybody deserves opportunity.  We have to have economies that are working for all people, not just those at the very top.  (Applause.)

Peace with justice means extending a hand to those who reach for freedom, wherever they live.  Different peoples and cultures will follow their own path, but we must reject the lie that those who live in distant places don’t yearn for freedom and self-determination just like we do; that they don’t somehow yearn for dignity and rule of law just like we do.  We cannot dictate the pace of change in places like the Arab world, but we must reject the excuse that we can do nothing to support it.  (Applause.) 

We cannot shrink from our role of advancing the values we believe in — whether it’s supporting Afghans as they take responsibility for their future, or working for an Israeli-Palestinian peace — (applause) — or engaging as we’ve done in Burma to help create space for brave people to emerge from decades of dictatorship.  In this century, these are the citizens who long to join the free world.  They are who you were.  They deserve our support, for they too, in their own way, are citizens of Berlin.  And we have to help them every day.  (Applause.) 

Peace with justice means pursuing the security of a world without nuclear weapons — no matter how distant that dream may be.  And so, as President, I’ve strengthened our efforts to stop the spread of nuclear weapons, and reduced the number and role of America’s nuclear weapons.  Because of the New START Treaty, we’re on track to cut American and Russian deployed nuclear warheads to their lowest levels since the 1950s.  (Applause.)

But we have more work to do.  So today, I’m announcing additional steps forward.  After a comprehensive review, I’ve determined that we can ensure the security of America and our allies, and maintain a strong and credible strategic deterrent, while reducing our deployed strategic nuclear weapons by up to one-third.  And I intend to seek negotiated cuts with Russia to move beyond Cold War nuclear postures.  (Applause.)

At the same time, we’ll work with our NATO allies to seek bold reductions in U.S. and Russian tactical weapons in Europe.  And we can forge a new international framework for peaceful nuclear power, and reject the nuclear weaponization that North Korea and Iran may be seeking. 

America will host a summit in 2016 to continue our efforts to secure nuclear materials around the world, and we will work to build support in the United States to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, and call on all nations to begin negotiations on a treaty that ends the production of fissile materials for nuclear weapons.  These are steps we can take to create a world of peace with justice.  (Applause.)  

Peace with justice means refusing to condemn our children to a harsher, less hospitable planet.  The effort to slow climate change requires bold action.  And on this, Germany and Europe have led. 

In the United States, we have recently doubled our renewable energy from clean sources like wind and solar power.  We’re doubling fuel efficiency on our cars.  Our dangerous carbon emissions have come down.  But we know we have to do more — and we will do more.  (Applause.)

With a global middle class consuming more energy every day, this must now be an effort of all nations, not just some.  For the grim alternative affects all nations — more severe storms, more famine and floods, new waves of refugees, coastlines that vanish, oceans that rise.  This is the future we must avert.  This is the global threat of our time.  And for the sake of future generations, our generation must move toward a global compact to confront a changing climate before it is too late.  That is our job.  That is our task.  We have to get to work.  (Applause.)

Peace with justice means meeting our moral obligations.  And we have a moral obligation and a profound interest in helping lift the impoverished corners of the world.  By promoting growth so we spare a child born today a lifetime of extreme poverty.  By investing in agriculture, so we aren’t just sending food, but also teaching farmers to grow food.  By strengthening public health, so we’re not just sending medicine, but training doctors and nurses who will help end the outrage of children dying from preventable diseases.  Making sure that we do everything we can to realize the promise — an achievable promise — of the first AIDS-free generation.  That is something that is possible if we feel a sufficient sense of urgency.  (Applause.)  

Our efforts have to be about more than just charity.  They’re about new models of empowering people — to build institutions; to abandon the rot of corruption; to create ties of trade, not just aid, both with the West and among the nations they’re seeking to rise and increase their capacity.  Because when they succeed, we will be more successful as well.  Our fates are linked, and we cannot ignore those who are yearning not only for freedom but also prosperity.

And finally, let’s remember that peace with justice depends on our ability to sustain both the security of our societies and the openness that defines them.  Threats to freedom don’t merely come from the outside.  They can emerge from within — from our own fears, from the disengagement of our citizens. 

For over a decade, America has been at war.  Yet much has now changed over the five years since I last spoke here in Berlin.  The Iraq war is now over.  The Afghan war is coming to an end.  Osama bin Laden is no more.  Our efforts against al Qaeda are evolving.

And given these changes, last month, I spoke about America’s efforts against terrorism.  And I drew inspiration from one of our founding fathers, James Madison, who wrote, “No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare.”  James Madison is right — which is why, even as we remain vigilant about the threat of terrorism, we must move beyond a mindset of perpetual war.  And in America, that means redoubling our efforts to close the prison at Guantanamo.  (Applause.)  It means tightly controlling our use of new technologies like drones.  It means balancing the pursuit of security with the protection of privacy. (Applause.)

And I’m confident that that balance can be struck.  I’m confident of that, and I’m confident that working with Germany, we can keep each other safe while at the same time maintaining those essential values for which we fought for. 

Our current programs are bound by the rule of law, and they’re focused on threats to our security — not the communications of ordinary persons.  They help confront real dangers, and they keep people safe here in the United States and here in Europe.  But we must accept the challenge that all of us in democratic governments face:  to listen to the voices who disagree with us; to have an open debate about how we use our powers and how we must constrain them; and to always remember that government exists to serve the power of the individual, and not the other way around.  That’s what makes us who we are, and that’s what makes us different from those on the other side of the wall.  (Applause.) 

That is how we’ll stay true to our better history while reaching for the day of peace and justice that is to come.  These are the beliefs that guide us, the values that inspire us, the principles that bind us together as free peoples who still believe the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. — that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”  (Applause.) 

And we should ask, should anyone ask if our generation has the courage to meet these tests?  If anybody asks if President Kennedy’s words ring true today, let them come to Berlin, for here they will find the people who emerged from the ruins of war to reap the blessings of peace; from the pain of division to the joy of reunification.  And here, they will recall how people trapped behind a wall braved bullets, and jumped barbed wire, and dashed across minefields, and dug through tunnels, and leapt from buildings, and swam across the Spree to claim their most basic right of freedom.  (Applause.) 

The wall belongs to history.  But we have history to make as well.  And the heroes that came before us now call to us to live up to those highest ideals — to care for the young people who can’t find a job in our own countries, and the girls who aren’t allowed to go to school overseas; to be vigilant in safeguarding our own freedoms, but also to extend a hand to those who are reaching for freedom abroad.

This is the lesson of the ages.  This is the spirit of Berlin.  And the greatest tribute that we can pay to those who came before us is by carrying on their work to pursue peace and justice not only in our countries but for all mankind. 

Vielen Dank.  (Applause.)  God bless you.  God bless the peoples of Germany.  And God bless the United States of America.  Thank you very much.  (Applause.)

On Monday, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder gave his final public speech as Ambassador at Carnegie Europe.  Ambassador Daalder praised NATO successes in Afghanistan and Libya while calling upon European Allies to invest more in defense spending to decrease burden sharing gaps between the U.S. and Europe.

On Libya, Ambassador Daalder said that this Alliance effort  “demonstrated NATO’s capacity to take on unanticipated missions, and to execute them quickly and ably.”  He added that “Libya also illustrated the power and possibility of real burden sharing.”

Meanwhile, on Afghanistan, the Ambassador said: “the fight in Afghanistan is increasingly waged by Afghans, for Afghans—as we saw again last week when Afghan forces foiled an insurgent attack on Kabul Airport, killing all seven suicide bombers and suffering no casualties of their own.”  He added that “by any measure, ISAF has been an unqualified success.”

“Our accomplishments in Afghanistan,” Ambassador Daalder added, “are a testament to the unity of this Alliance, to its immense capacity to promote security in the 21^st century, and to the common interests we share with Partners around the world.”

Looking to the future, Ambassador Daalder assured the audience that the U.S. was not abandoning Europe for Asia, but he questioned “whether our NATO Allies will make the commitments necessary to face 21^st century dangers together.”

Ambassador Daalder warned, “If spending cuts continue along their present trajectory, I am not confident that ten – or even five – years from now, NATO will be able to replicate its success in Libya.”  As he urged European Allies to do more, Ambassador Daalder concluded by stressing his confidence that the Alliance will unite to address these challenges.

Read the full speech here.

On June 3, as part of a NATO Week organized by Georgia, Deputy Chiefs of Mission from NATO aspirant country missions in Brussels (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Georgia) participated in a joint seminar in Tbilisi to raise public awareness about NATO. 

This marked the first time these countries organized such an event amongst themselves to discuss and share lessons learned from NATO operations.  U.S. Deputy Permanent Representative to NATO Joe Manso (below in the middle) took part in the discussions, as did representatives from NATO Allies Romania and Turkey.  The group focused their discussions on strategic communications in NATO operations.

At the opening event, NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia, James Appathurai, praised Georgia’s contributions to Euro-Atlantic security and the progress Georgia has made on implementing reforms.  He also thanked Georgians for their continued commitment and sacrifice in Afghanistan, noting recent losses and expressing condolences on behalf of NATO.

 1.       Negotiating with foreign countries

2.       Prepping the next meeting

3.       Reaching out to counterparts

4.       Consulting with advisors

5.       Briefing the press  

6.       Attending multinational meetings

7.       Taking time to thank those who made it all possible!

Defense Ministers from NATO’s 28 Allied countries began early this morning at NATO Headquarters in Brussels on the second and final day of the NATO Defense Ministers Meeting. 

The day began with a meeting of the NATO-Georgia Commission (NGC).  During this session, the NATO Defense Ministers met with their Georgian counterpart, Irakli Alasania, to discuss Georgia’s reform plans and further opportunities for cooperation. The Ministers also thanked Georgia for its significant contribution to NATO-led operations in Afghanistan.  

NATO Defense Ministers were joined later in the morning by their counterparts from non-NATO ISAF-contributing nations to discuss the situation in Afghanistan.  At this meeting, the Defense Ministers endorsed a detailed concept of operations for the new, NATO-led mission to train, advise, and assist the Afghan security forces after 2014.  “That concept will guide our military experts as they finalize the plan in the course of the coming months,” said NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

In the afternoon, the Secretary General gave a press conference to outline some of the discussions during the two-day Ministerial.  He highlighted progress made preparing for ISAF’s post- 2014 Afghanistan mission, where he pledged that the Afghans “will not stand alone. The international community has committed to support Afghanistan in the years to come.”

The Secretary General also gave a readout from the NGC meeting.  “Georgia is a committed partner and the largest non-NATO contributor to ISAF,” he said.  “It is a potential partner for our future Afghan mission and a country which aspires to join our Alliance.” 

Shortly after the Secretary General spoke, Secretary Hagel took the stage to deliver his first press conference at NATO as U.S. Secretary of Defense.  During his opening remarks, he spoke about the future of the alliance, noting that “NATO is as important today as it’s ever been, and as the world grows more complicated and interconnected, a strong, cohesive, and capable collective security alliance will be an essential component of helping preserve peace, stability, and freedom.” 

Secretary Hagel also answered questions about plans for Afghanistan post-2014.  “I laid out a firm commitment of the U.S. to go forward with being a framework nation in a post-2014 Afghanistan.

he said.  “We will provide more personnel.  We are looking at providing new expert professional assistance from contracting to fuel support — not just soldiers — as well as financial assistance. We intend to be there for the long haul.” 

He also spoke about the Ministerial meeting the previous day on cyber security.  “We all agreed that the alliance must do more to ensure that we respond to these growing, deadly threats to cyberspace,” he said.  “We all must take meaningful action quickly and focus on several key NATO missions: defending the alliance networks and systems, developing cyber defense capabilities to support alliance missions, and preparing to defend member states from a destructive cyber attack that could lead to a loss of life or serious economic consequences.”    

After his press conference, Secretary Hagel joined members of the U.S. Mission to NATO for a photograph, where he presented an award to Ambassador Ivo Daalder for his four years of service as U.S. Ambassador to NATO, ahead of his departure next month.  Secretary Hagel noted that  Ambassador Daalder’s time at NATO has involved participation in 20 NATO Ministerials, including 12 with Defense Secretaries Gates, Panetta, and Hagel.  

Following the award presentation, Secretary Hagel and his entourage left NATO after concluding a useful and productive Ministerial! 

Make sure to keep checking our Tumblr and follow the US Mission to NATO and Ambassador Daalder on twitter for the latest on what’s happening at NATO HQ! 

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel arrived at NATO Headquarters in Brussels this morning to participate in his first NATO Defense Ministers meeting.  The Ministerial brought together defense ministers from NATO’s 28 Allied countries to discuss a range of topics, including NATO capabilities, cyber security, and Afghanistan. 

As the day started, Secretary Hagel and U.S. Ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder (pictured center and left below) entered NATO Headquarters for the first of several meetings. 

Ahead of the first meeting, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen gave a “door step” press briefing.  He noted that “NATO defense ministers will discuss how we can keep NATO capable – making sure we have the capabilities we need to deal with the challenges we face.”  He also stressed that “we will have our first ministerial discussion dedicated to cyber defense.”  

Giving a preview of tomorrow’s meeting, he said that  “we will meet with all 50 members of the ISAF coalition, and with the Afghan defense minister, to discuss progress in Afghanistan [where] soon Afghans will take the lead for security across the country.”   

Shortly after this press briefing, Secretary Hagel and Secretary General Rasmussen gave each other a warm welcome

Throughout the first day, Secretary Hagel held private, bilateral meetings with the defense ministers of several Allies, including German Minister of Defense Thomas de Maiziere, pictured below. 

The first North Atlantic Council (NAC) meeting of the Ministerial focused on ensuring NATO has the adequate capabilities to meet present and future security challenges.  A few days ago in Washington, DC, President Obama and the NATO Secretary General spoke about the importance of burden sharing when it comes to NATO capabilities. 

The second NAC meeting focused on cyber security, after which the Secretary General held a press conference to discuss this and other issues of the day, noting that “we have just held our first-ever meeting of ministers dedicated to cyber defense, and NATO’s role in protecting vital computer systems.  The Secretary General also reaffirmed NATO’s determination to build its capabilities.  “Today, we also discussed how to make sure this Alliance has the full range of capabilities we need to deal with the full range of threats,” he said.

Following a full day of meetings, Secretary Hagel and the other 27 NATO Defense Ministers (pictured below) kept working into the night at a private dinner in Brussels, ahead of a second round of meetings planned for tomorrow.    

Keep checking our Tumblr and make sure to follow the US Mission to NATO, Ambassador Daalder, and Dept. of Defense Press Secretary George Little on Twitter for the latest on the Defense Ministerial and what’s happening at NATO HQ!

On Friday, May 31, President Obama will welcome NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen to the White House.  As the most successful alliance in history, NATO lies at the heart of the transatlantic relationship, serving as the bedrock for building shared approaches to the security challenges we share with our 27 NATO allies.  The President looks forward to discussing global and regional security concerns with the Secretary General, to include ending the war in Afghanistan while building an enduring partnership with the Afghan government; sustaining and improving allied defense capabilities and transatlantic burden sharing; and further enhancing NATO’s network of capable partners. 

The Secretary General’s visit underscores the vital importance the United States places on the North Atlantic Alliance and our relationship with Europe, and our common commitment to tackle challenges from Afghanistan to the Balkans to the Indian Ocean together. 

Also on the White House website.

NATO took a major step toward repurposing itself for the 21st Century by adopting a new Strategic Concept, the first in over a decade, at the Lisbon Summit in 2010. This “mission statement for NATO” broke new ground by identifying “cooperative security” – the idea that NATO must work together with nations beyond its borders to assure our common security– as one of NATO’s fundamental tasks. NATO has turned this concept into reality by establishing partnership networks with nations from around the world, providing a forum for comprehensive dialogue, cooperative activities that strengthen relationships, and an opportunity for nations outside of NATO to contribute to operations. 

Australian soldiers take part in ISAF Mission in Afghanistan—as an example of partner contributions to NATO.

NATO has created partnerships through several official frameworks, including the following:

• Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) — Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Finland, Georgia, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Russia, Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan                                   

• NATO-Russia Council (NRC), NATO-Ukraine Commission (NUC), NATO-Georgia Commission (NGC)

• Mediterranean Dialogue (MedDi) — Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia

• Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI) — Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates 

• Partners across the globe — Afghanistan, Australia, Iraq, Japan, Pakistan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Mongolia

NATO relies on partners during military missions, such as in Afghanistan, where 22 countries outside of NATO have contributed to the operation. For example, the Northern Distribution Network (NDN) is a critical supply route via air, land and sea from Afghanistan with support across several countries, including Latvia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The NATO-led Kosovo peacekeeping mission, also comprises eight partner nations. In 2011, partner countries in the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe joined the Allies to help make NATO’s Libya (below) operation a success.  

NATO also continues to partner with nations aspiring to join the Alliance, working with them as they pursue the reforms needed to potentially join NATO in the future. These partnerships have done much to foster the spread of democracy and stability across the Euro-Atlantic space, and NATO is pleased to continue to partner with four active aspirants: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Macedonia, and Montenegro. 

The Alliance also works with several countries in other areas of mutual interest, including emerging security challenges, to enhance awareness of security developments with a view to preventing crises. Contributions by partner nations, including troops and funds, remain vital in advancing the Alliance’s security goals. 

Check out more info on NATO Partnerships on the NATO LibGuides site!