BELGIUM: NATO defence ministers discuss how to make the most out of declining resources
Record ID:
859325
BELGIUM: NATO defence ministers discuss how to make the most out of declining resources
- Title: BELGIUM: NATO defence ministers discuss how to make the most out of declining resources
- Date: 21st February 2013
- Summary: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (FEBRUARY 21, 2013) (REUTERS) NATO MEMBERS FLAGS AND SCULPTURE OUTSIDE HEADQUARTERS NATIONAL FLAGS OF US, SPAIN AND UK OUTSIDE HEADQUARTERS SECURITY OFFICER GUARDING ENTRANCE
- Embargoed: 8th March 2013 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Belgium
- City:
- Country: Belgium
- Topics: International Relations
- Reuters ID: LVAUSJHJBUM4V4U656E9TVYBXRP
- Aspect Ratio:
- Story Text: NATO defence ministers discuss improving the Alliance capabilities in response to declining defence budgets.
NATO defence ministers discussed on Thursday (February 21) how to optimize resources and find answers to the defence cash shortage affecting many member states hit by budget cuts.
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told the alliance's defence ministers that it was of paramount importance to prevent austerity-driven defence cuts at home from undermining the power of the 63-year-old Western alliance.
"The right capabilities and readiness, these have been the hallmarks of our alliance for over six decades. To retain them in the years to come, we need to maintain our political and military and economic investment in defence. We must hold the line on defence spending, work together to make the best of what we have and consider what more we can do as our economy starts to recover," Rasmussen told the first roundtable of the two-day meeting in Brussels.
He declined to comment directly on $46 billion in U.S. budget cuts scheduled to take effect from March 1 that would slash nearly every U.S. military programme or activity by a flat percentage unless Congress acts to avert them.
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta intends to warn NATO allies in Brussels that defence cuts under the "sequester" -- as the mechanism for the across-the-board cuts is known -- could impact U.S. contributions to NATO readiness, Pentagon spokesman George Little told reporters during Panetta's flight to Brussels on Wednesday.
While the Obama administration is pushing lawmakers to avert sequestration, Panetta formally notified Congress on Wednesday that the Pentagon plans to put civilian defence employees on unpaid leave this year if the cuts go ahead.
The United States, which provides the lion's share of NATO's firepower, has been urging European allies for years to pick up more of the defence burden.
Washington has pressed European countries to take the lead in operations like the 2011 Libya campaign but the Europeans still need U.S. help with key capabilities like air-to-air refuelling and intelligence.
The threat of U.S. cuts could give Washington another argument to press European allies to increase defence spending by showing the danger of over-reliance on the United States.
Only a handful of NATO's 28 allies - the United States, Britain and Greece - last year spent more on defence than the two percent of Gross Domestic Product target set by NATO.
Britain, which has cut defence spending to rein in a big budget deficit, also urged allies to commit to increase defence spending once their economies improved.
British Prime Minister David Cameron raised the possibility on Thursday of diverting hundreds of millions of pounds from foreign aid to defence and security. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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