branko-serbia

CHICAGO SUMMIT

AND THE MAIN CHALLENGES IN FRONT OF THE NATO

NATO leaders at the Chicago Summit, 2012

NATO’s summit held in Chicago this May was focused primarily on verifying previously arranged strategies dealing with Afghanistan and missile defense system in Europe. The second topic is not warmly perceived in Moscow and therefore it is very sensitive issue in international relations today. Summit was held in Chicago (Illinois) on 20^th and 21^st May 2012. The summit was held in president Obama’s home town and this was the first time that summit was organized in United States out of the US capital Washington DC.

First phase of anti-missile shield started when allies activated the AGS (Alliance Ground Surveillance) in Sigonela military base located in Italian town Catania. Full operability of the anti-missile shield will be reached in 2018. The AGS will be located in several European countries. Beside Italy among these countries are Spain, Poland and Romania. US military ships will be based in Spain and missiles SM-3 will be located in Eastern Europe.  It is expected that the AGS will be fully empowered and ready for use as a NATO system between 2015 and 2017. In meantime 600 additional troops will be moved to Sigonela base.  President Obama emphasized that NATO represents bedrock of western security, freedom and prosperity for 63 years. The President also underlined that the Alliance had crucial role in the reconstruction of post war Europe and that NATO survived Cold War. NATO also accepted as its new member states former Soviet allies and brought peace to Balkans, said Obama. American president believes that the power of the Alliance is in common energy of all NATO members and that NATO today represents pillar of international security and peace.  Military intervention in Libya shows how European, Middle Eastern and North African countries can cooperate in delivering of world stability, said US president.

First document signed at the Summit was related to the ‘’Smart Defense’’ project which started this February. It is launched by 13 NATO member states (Italy, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Luxembourg, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia and United States). The project includes engagement of five unmanned aircrafts, common command and control unit. These objectives definitely correspond with previously mentioned Obama’s philosophy of common defense. No doubt it is a long-term strategy consisted of: 1) tangible package of multinational projects aimed to address critical capability shortfalls, 2) longer-term multinational projects including missile defense, Alliance Ground Surveillance and air policing and 3) strategic projects for 2020 covering areas such as Surveillance and Reconnaissance, Joint Intelligence and air-to-air refueling.

ISAF troops in Afghanistan

Besides dealing with new risks and threats which were recognized at the Lisbon Summit in 2010 one of the main Chicago Summit’s topics was Afghanistan and withdrawal of ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) troops led by NATO. ISAF is present in Afghanistan since 2001 and its main role is to stabilize security but also and to stabilize political and economic life in country together with Afghan authorities.  The security is still fragile on south-east of Afghanistan where Taliban insurgents are still located. The Alliance and its ISAF partners want to reach safe transition of security tasks to Afghan security forces till 2014.   That is one of the three main Chicago Summit’s topics which include: 1) The Alliance’s commitment to Afghanistan through transition and beyond 2) ensuring that the Alliance has the capabilities it needs to defend its population and territory and 3) ensuring that the Alliance has the capacity to deal with the challenges of the 21^st century including strengthening NATO’s network of partners worldwide.    

Among the participants at the Summit there were and officials of Pakistan. In the previous years, especially after Bin Laden’s capture in Pakistan and because of different approaches in dealing with the Taliban insurgency relations between United States and Pakistan are declining. US air strikes in November 2011 caused death of 24 Pakistani soldiers and that was cause for some kind of freezing of bilateral relations between these two countries. Since then Pakistan refuses to allow ISAF troops movement over its territory and therefore ISAF must move its troops over Russia and Central Asian countries. It is much complicated and more expensive route than it is Pakistan’s route. Pakistani authorities demanded 20 times more money than before the November airstrikes. It was unacceptable prize for ISAF. In meantime Pakistan reopened ISAF supply lines after US Secretary of State apologized for the killing of 24 Pakistani soldiers.  At the Chicago Summit arrived Pakistan’s foreign minister Ms. Hina Rabbani Khar who had spoken with the US officials about fragility of the Pakistani-Afghan border. Pakistan’s officials were informed that the Alliance believes that Pakistan can be part of the solution in Afghanistan.  In Chicago also arrived and Pakistani president Mr. Asif Ali Zardari. Mr. Zardari didn’t receive official reception but he had an opportunity to hold short triple dialogue with US and Afghan president.

The key European partners within NATO: 

French president Francois Hollande and 

German chancellor Angela Merkel

Overall conclusion of the United States and its Allies is that the war in Afghanistan is a very long and expensive one and that Talibans still represent threat for Afghan national security. Allies don’t intend to abandon Afghans. Actually they don’t intend to leave them unprepared for dealing with the Taliban insurgency.  Today Afghan security forces defend 75% of Afghan population. Area at the south and at the east of Afghanistan remains to be unstable in security terms. United States will be present in Afghanistan and after the official withdrawal of ISAF in 2014. One part of the US troops will remain in Afghanistan as the advisors of the Afghan security forces. Among the main problems Afghans are facing with is the fact that Afghans don’t have enough resources to finance their defense. It is estimated that Afghanistan needs around 4.1 billion US dollars on annual level if they want to have efficient defense forces.  One of the tasks in front of the United States and its allies is to help Afghanistan to provide these financial recourses. Anyway, there is no doubt that US and some other NATO members are ready to conduct training and to support Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). In the coming transition period the ANSF will take over responsibilities from ISAF. Chicago Summit showed that there is no common approach on ISAF withdrawal. New French president already decided to withdraw 3,400 troops from Afghanistan till the end of 2012. There is also US complaint that many NATO members spend less than 1.6% of their GNP on defense. United States who spends around 4% of their GNP on defense expects more solidarity from other member states. Therefore, solving the Afghan problem also lies in quality of solidarity and common approach within NATO. If NATO succeeds to strengthen its solidarity the solution for Afghan problem will be more likely 11 years after the start of ISAF mission.

Branko Lazic,

July 2012