On 14 October 2021, the NATO International Military Staff hosted Partner Nations for informal workshops to discuss a series of topics pertaining to NATO’s new Strategic Concept. This new format, to be held bi-annually, aims to improve the dialogue between NATO and Partners.
Chair of the NATO Military Committee Admiral Rob Bauer welcomed participants to this new meeting format and encouraged them to take advantage of it. “This new meeting demonstrates how important these partnerships are to NATO and how much we value your unique perspectives”, stated the Chair. Additionally, he thanked the Director General of the International Military Staff, Lieutenant General Hans-Werner Wiermann for initiating this new forum and Major General Francisco Diella, Director of the Cooperative Security Division and his staff for leading the charge.
Major General Diella then invited Nations to break-out into smaller groups and join the topic-specific workshops. “We are organising these sessions to provide Partners with an opportunity to share their observations, thoughts and ideas on specific topics where we think we could be doing more together – topics like information-sharing, emerging technologies and innovation or even NATO missions and operations”, added the Cooperative Security Director.
After the different workshops, participants were invited to come together again in a question/answer session and for a summary conclusion chaired by IMS Director General Lieutenant Wiermann. “This has been an incredibly productive day. The input received will help us contribute and enrich our input to the NATO’s new Strategic Concept. Together, we can help shape a document that will provide overall direction and guidance for years to come”, concluded Lieutenant General Wiermann. He closed the meeting by thanking participants for their contributions and for embracing this new meeting format.
At the initiative of the NATO International Military Staff, and under the auspice of its Cooperative Security Division, this new meeting will be held bi-annually and provide an informal setting for a constructive dialogue on partnerships, military cooperation and other relevant topics.