While in Poland, from 3 to 5 October 2022, the Chair of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer met with Polish Chief of Defence, General Rajmund Andrzejczak and visited the main logistical hub in charge of coordinating support to Ukraine. He then joined the Director General of the NATO International Military Staff, Lieutenant General Janusz Adamczak, at the Warsaw Security Forum.
Accompanied by General Andrzejczak, Admiral Bauer toured the logistical hub, in South-Eastern Poland, in charge of processing the military equipment and capabilities received from Allied and Partner Nations to support Ukraine’s war efforts. Admiral Bauer commended General Andrzejczak and the Polish authorities for “facilitating and coordinating all of this support to Ukraine as well as for the tremendous leadership demonstrated by both political and military authorities”.
Admiral Bauer attended the Warsaw Security Forum, jointly with the Director General of the NATO International Military Staff, Lieutenant General Janusz Adamczak. The Forum aims to provide a platform for security experts to discuss transatlantic cooperation, shared responses to common challenges, with an emphasis on the security of Central and Eastern Europe.
Speaking in a discussion on the “Lessons Learned from Ukraine and Future Outlooks”, Lieutenant General Adamczak shared his views on Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, the implications for Human Security and NATO’s ongoing response, especially the recent measures put in place to ensure the protection of all NATO Allies, through a strong deterrence and defence posture as well as capability development.
In his first speaking engagement, Admiral Bauer acknowledged the strategic relevance of the Black Sea region to NATO, especially in terms of freedom of navigation, energy security and Sea lines of Communication. “The Black Sea region is an intersection of communication lines between Europe and the Middle East, from the Eastern Balkans to the South Caucasus. The security of these lines of communication is crucial for trade and prosperity in the region and beyond, which is why Allies are actively cooperating together in the region”, he highlighted.
Speaking on the ongoing Ukrainian war, Admiral Bauer noted that “Russia has not achieved any of its strategic objectives in Ukraine. Russian forces have not achieved maritime or air superiority in the Black Sea as they claim. They are meeting fierce resistance from the Ukrainian armed forces and its people, in part thanks to the support of many Allies. So Russia has already lost this war strategically, but we need to remain vigilant and prepare for Russia’s response when it realises that it has become cornered”.
Meeting with Allied and Partner defence staff representatives, Admiral Bauer reiterated the importance of implementing recent decisions taken at the Madrid Summit, especially those focused on strengthening NATO’s engagement and cooperation with Partners. “There are many nations, free and democratic, who would stand up at all cost to protect the rules-based international order. Which is why NATO will continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes. Their values are our values. Their freedom is our freedom. While winter may be coming, our support will remain unwavering”, he concluded.