NATO Secretary General  Anders Fogh Rasmussen termed the summit an outright success, declaring: “We [NATO] have focused on the future of Afghanistan; we have decided to invest smartly in our defense, even in times of austerity; and we have engaged with our partners around the world to address the challenges we all face in the 21st century.”

The progress achieved by the summit comes at a time when the organization faces an identity crisis and seeks renewed purpose amidst the end of operations in Afghanistan, dwindling financial resources, and a shift in US focus to the Pacific region.

The summit was the target of several large protests – some violent  - expressing the general dissatisfaction rife throughout much of the US and Europe, where economic recession and stagnating governmental performance have left citizens weary and angry.  Protestors with messages ranging from the anarchic to those of the Occupy Movement, capitalized on the opportunity to assemble before one of the largest gatherings of international officials on US soil in recent history.  Chicago 2012 marked only the third time NATO has held its summit in the US, and the first time it has convened outside of Washington, DC.

On the sidelines of the summit, the contentious relationship between the US and Pakistan over the latter’s failure to reopen ground transport routes to Afghanistan was on public display.  The US-Pakistan relationship continues to be critical to the development and security of Afghanistan.  A failure to mend the rift in relations could signal further destabilization of the Pakistani government, presenting opportunities for a hardline regime to assume power and jeopardize the already fragile security situation on the ground.

Overall, the Chicago summit demonstrated that there still exists a cooperative spirit within NATO, though the means and methods of implementing the resulting objectives remain unclear.  By reaching agreements on an exit from Afghanistan and initial smart defense projects, the membership has reaffirmed its commitment to the cooperative spirit of the organization.   Whether this renewed commitment is capable of withstanding the financial constraints of individual member nations as projects are implemented remains a significant concern.  The organization has clearly been impacted by the deepening Eurozone crisis; until a viable recovery plan is enacted by European officials, NATO will largely be at the mercy of its members’ not-so-deep pockets.

The US, conversely, may ultimately benefit from the agreements reached at the summit depending on how the smart defense initiative proceeds.  The program presents a key opportunity to rebalance the financial burden between the US and Europe.  If executed judiciously, this adjustment could allow for the US to allocate additional resources toward other strategic priorities.  The US still recognizes NATO as a key partner in security and will remain a staunch defender of its mission; however, it is essential that the US capitalize upon the opportunity presented by smart defense to evaluate and pursue its own defense initiatives both in cooperation with NATO and independently.

ASP Fellow Joshua Foust attended the summit and has been broadcasting daily from the event, covering the key issues and having candid discussions with those in attendance including NATO Secretary General Rasmussen, Senators Dick Durbin and Jeanne Shaheen, and Former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, among many others.  Catch all of Joshua’s podcasts on ASP’s multimedia page.

For additional information on the summit, click the links below:

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen’s Remarks

NATO Official Document: Deterrence and Defense Posture Review

NATO Official Document: Summit Declaration on Defence Capabilities: Toward NATO Forces 2020

NATO Official Document:  Strategic Concept for the Defence and Security of the Members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Lisbon, 2010)

White House Fact Sheet

Mr. Augustine noted in the hearing that energy faces two “Valleys of Death” – the first where new energy technologies move from R&D to commercialization, and then when moving from small-scale to large scale. The second, he noted, is unique to the energy sector because you have such a strong incumbent energy sector that benefits from significant already-built infrastructure.

He said that these “Valleys of Death” show why government investment is necessary in promoting technology development. It also is a reason that government must accept some level of failures, because these really are unknown technologies.

Watch the full hearing on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee website here.

The DDPR was commissioned at the 2010 Lisbon Summit in order to assess “NATO’s overall posture in deterring and defending against the full range of threats to the Alliance…”

It was hoped that the DDPR would provide additional clarity and direction for the future of NATO’s nuclear policy and move away from the existing nuclear status quo.  Unfortunately, the review lacked any substantive changes from the policies outlined in the Strategic Concept at Lisbon, nor did it attempt to resolve any divisive issues that confront the allies. However, the DDPR did provide updated information regarding ballistic missile defense and discussed the possibility of non-strategic nuclear weapons stockpile reductions.

Regarding ballistic missile defense, the DDPR announced that “NATO has achieved an Interim Capability for its missile defense.” This status confirms the establishment of the necessary command and control procedures and the ability to provide real, albeit limited, defense against ballistic missile attacks.

The DDPR additionally notes, that “in a spirit of reciprocity, maximum transparency and mutual confidence, will actively seek cooperation on missile defense with Russia and, in accordance with NATO’s policy of engagement with third states on ballistic missile defense, engage with other relevant states, to be decided on a case-by-case basis.”

Regarding non-strategic nuclear weapons, the DDPR states that, “[The North Atlantic Council] will task the appropriate committees to develop concepts for how to ensure the broadest possible participation of Allies concerned in their nuclear sharing arrangements, including in case NATO were to decide to reduce its reliance on non-strategic nuclear weapons based in Europe.”

“NATO is prepared to consider further reducing its requirement for non-strategic nuclear weapons assigned to the Alliance in the context of reciprocal steps by Russia…”

The DDPR also plans, “to develop and exchange transparency and confidence-building ideas with the Russian Federation in the NATO-Russia Council, with the goal of developing detailed proposals on and increasing mutual understanding of NATO’s and Russia’s non-strategic nuclear force postures in Europe.”

One can certainly applaud the DDPR for hinting at a future where NATO would reduce its reliance on non-strategic weapons and for expressing the desire to increase transparency and establish confidence-building exercises with the Russian Federation regarding ballistic missile defense and their mutual non-strategic nuclear weapon postures. However, while the DDPR outlines several significant goals, it fails to provide any substantive details on how it intends to achieve them. Therefore, it would seem NATO has once again deferred any difficult decisions to a later date.

Confidence building is needed in upcoming P5+1 – Iran talks

Terri Lodge, American Security Project  / The Hill

The most promising summit in years is scheduled to take place this week between the P5+1 and Iran to discuss the enduring stalemateover the Iranian nuclear program. A number of factors – the threat of additional sanctions, a growing divide in Israel, and an Iranian willingness to discuss ideas – are coming together in a way that indicates a successful dialogue may be achievable. This meeting has the potential to actually accomplish something tangible and finally cross the threshold from talk to action.

Oil not on table for Iranian nuke talks
UPI

U.S. officials slated to take part in nuclear negotiations with Iran in Baghdad aren’t likely to back off sanctions on Iran’s energy sector, officials said.

Exclusive: U.S. envoy to Afghanistan to step down shortly

Missy Ryan / Reuters

Veteran U.S. diplomat Ryan Crocker is expected to step down soon from his post as President Barack Obama’s envoy to Afghanistan, departing the U.S. mission in Kabul as the United States negotiates a host of challenges on its course out of the long, costly war.

Afghans back Chicago deal, warn West to keep promises

Mirwais Harooni and Rob Taylor / Reuters

People in Afghanistan were surprisingly optimistic on Tuesday about NATO’s plan to pull combat troops out of their war-ravaged nation by the end of 2014, but warned Western leaders to stick to aid and security promises.

Topic: START: Russia-U.S. nuclear talks

Russia Today

U.S. military inspectors have conducted five inspections of Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces (SMF) arsenal over the last six months as part of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START-3), SMF Commander Lt. Gen. Sergei Karakayev said on Monday.

On Our Flashpoint Blog 

Upcoming ASP event: A Conversation with Walter Pincus: Nukes, Missiles, and the Truth

Wallin: On Airplanes and Airshows

This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending two airshows, one of which was the Joint Services Open House held at Joint Base Andrews just outside of DC. It’s been a while since I’ve attended a more “modern” airshow, as lately I’ve focused more on the vintage shows seeing some of America’s most rare and noteworthy aircraft of yesteryear.

Wallin: Analog vs. Digital in the Diplomatic World

The analog vs. digital debate has turned from watches, to cameras, and now to diplomacy. Today I attended an event on Digital Diplomacy at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Given my skepticism of many digital diplomacy efforts, I was pleased to come out of the event with impression that there is a general understanding of the limits of digital efforts. It seems that even amongst digital’s proponents, there is an appreciation of the importance of “analog,” old-fashioned

Holland: Race for Arctic Energy Resources Shows Need for U.S. to Ratify Law of the Sea Treaty

As I have been researching and writing about Arctic energy development recently, there’s one important – and easy – policy prescription that often comes up: joining the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). As I mentioned in my article, “Energy Development in the Arctic: Threats and Opportunities” the USGS estimates that the Arctic region has 22% of the world’s undiscovered energy resources – and 84% of those resources are expected to occur offshore (so 18.5% of the undiscovered resources are on or under the Arctic seabed).

Boyle: “Strategic Pivots,” Partnerships, and the Chicago Summit: how NATO plans to save itself

NATO’s upcoming summit in Chicago on May 20-21, has been much publicized as the organization’s last chance to remain relevant amidst shifting economic and security climates. 

ASP Reports and Media

Measuring Success

“As we look toward the Chicago Summit and NATO’s coming decisions about Afghanistan it is important to understand how the war is going. And while some things seem worse than ever, we just don’t have a good idea of whether we are progress toward achieving President Obama’s strategy or not.”

About the American Security Project: The American Security Project is a non-profit, non-partisan public policy and research organization dedicated to fostering knowledge and understanding of a range of national security issues, promoting debate about the appropriate use of American power, and cultivating strategic responses to 21st century challenges.

For more information, visit www.americansecurityproject.org. info@americansecurityproject.org

That said, I was excited to see some of the modern hardware I hadn’t yet had the opportunity to see in action. This included the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, and the Bell Boeing MV-22 Osprey. While both of these unique aircraft have been controversial for a variety of reasons, they were certainly impressive in their displays.

The Osprey, a unique tilt-rotor aircraft used by the Marines, is essentially part plane, part helicopter. By literally changing the direction its rotor blades are facing, the Osprey provides the landing, take-off, and lift benefits of a helicopter with the speed and range of a conventional airplane. While the Osprey had a troubled safety record during its development, resulting in the tragic deaths of 30 service members, the aircraft has been widely lauded for its operational and combat record. Simultaneously, there are still those with concerns about how it’s performed.

The F-22 has been all over the news in recent weeks due to ongoing concerns about its oxygen system. In short, the most advanced air-superiority fighter in the world has been sometimes making its pilots incredibly sick in flight, resulting in loss of awareness or consciousness. It was grounded in 2011 for nearly 5 months in an attempt to find the solution to this problem, and ultimately returned to flight status without the issue being resolved. This runs the risk of making the aircraft combat-ineffective, despite how advanced is. But when the F-22 performs…it performs! It certainly did not disappoint, putting on the most impressive display I have ever seen from a jet aircraft.

I have also written before about the longevity of some of our military aircraft and hardware. The Blue Angels are always an amazing sight to see, and they have been continuously flying the F/A-18 Hornet since the 1980s. The question for me is, when will we see a switch to the F-35? Eventually, it looks as though both the Blue Angels and the Air Force Thunderbirds are destined to fly the F-35.

Airshows have been criticized by some as being wasteful in a time of economic hardship and fiscal restraint. I am a firm believer they are not. A short while ago, I wrote about how the Space Shuttle program inspired generations of Americans, and how it’s important to have something that Americans are proud of in tough times. I can personally trace back my entire interest in security, politics, and military affairs to my childhood fascination with airplanes.

Seeing these machines in action, in person, has an effect. For some, it may lead to a military service career, for others it may inspire another course of service to the nation. When you hear a kid under the age of 10 walk up to an airplane and excitedly yell, “Dad, come look at this B-24 Liberator!” you know something special and important is happening.

At these airshows, you see people of all types: men, women, old, young, and of every ethnicity. In a time when the public has been increasingly disconnected from the all-volunteer military, airshows provide the opportunity for all of these people to interact with our servicemen and women, and get a better understanding of some of the things they do.

Ms. Lodge noted:

Iranian representatives have talked in recent weeks about their desire for sanctions relief to be a point of discussion in Baghdad. This shows that the strong sanctions implemented against Iran are working and legitimizes recent reports of an Iranian economy under siege. But unless there are substantial concessions from Iran, major sanctions relief should not be on the table. The U.S. and EU may opt to postpone additional sanctions as part of an agreement, but the negotiations between the two parties is not yet at the point where discussions regarding major sanctions relief is appropriate.

She concluded:

Of course, there are still major obstacles in the way of the full resolution of this issue. At the core of the problem is crafting an agreement that will satisfy all three parties: Iran, the United States, and Israel, all of which have vastly different threat perceptions and political challenges to consider. Reconciling these differences will be a monumentally difficult task, but next week’s meeting represents a real opportunity for progress on this important issue.

 

You can read the full article here

You can list to Josh’s first podcast report here:

Click here

Josh’s previous report can be found here:

NATO Summit May 21st 2012

NATO Summit May 20th 2012

Head of US nuclear safety agency to step down

RAY HENRY  / Associated Press

The head of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced Monday that he will resign as soon as a successor is confirmed to lead the country’s nuclear safety agency, a decision that comes after fellow commissioners publicly rebuked Jaczko and accused him of acting like a bully.

Hollande: NATO missile defense should worry no one

AP

France’s new president said Sunday that Russia and other countries should not feel threatened by the planned NATO missile defense system.

U.N. nuclear chief holds talks in Tehran, hopes for deal

Fredrik Dahl and Marcus George / Reuters

The U.N. nuclear watchdog chief held rare talks in Tehran on Monday after voicing hope for a deal to investigate suspected atomic bomb research – a gesture Iran might make to try to get international sanctions relaxed and deflect threats of war.

US warns NKorea against another nuke test

FOSTER KLUG  / Associated Press

The top U.S. envoy for North Korea warned Pyongyang on Monday that any nuclear test would be a serious miscalculation that would unify the world in seeking swift, tough punishment.

Pentagon civilian contractors attacked in Yemen

PAULINE JELINEK / Associated Press

The Pentagon says three civilian contractors helping train Yemen’s coast guard were attacked in Yemen.

On Our Flashpoint Blog

Upcoming ASP event: A Conversation with Walter Pincus: Nukes, Missiles, and the Truth

Wallin: Analog vs. Digital in the Diplomatic World

The analog vs. digital debate has turned from watches, to cameras, and now to diplomacy. Today I attended an event on Digital Diplomacy at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Given my skepticism of many digital diplomacy efforts, I was pleased to come out of the event with impression that there is a general understanding of the limits of digital efforts. It seems that even amongst digital’s proponents, there is an appreciation of the importance of “analog,” old-fashioned

Holland: Race for Arctic Energy Resources Shows Need for U.S. to Ratify Law of the Sea Treaty

As I have been researching and writing about Arctic energy development recently, there’s one important – and easy – policy prescription that often comes up: joining the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). As I mentioned in my article, “Energy Development in the Arctic: Threats and Opportunities” the USGS estimates that the Arctic region has 22% of the world’s undiscovered energy resources – and 84% of those resources are expected to occur offshore (so 18.5% of the undiscovered resources are on or under the Arctic seabed).

Boyle: “Strategic Pivots,” Partnerships, and the Chicago Summit: how NATO plans to save itself

NATO’s upcoming summit in Chicago on May 20-21, has been much publicized as the organization’s last chance to remain relevant amidst shifting economic and security climates.

ASP Reports and Media

Measuring Success

“As we look toward the Chicago Summit and NATO’s coming decisions about Afghanistan it is important to understand how the war is going. And while some things seem worse than ever, we just don’t have a good idea of whether we are progress toward achieving President Obama’s strategy or not.”

ASP Podcast

In the podcast we discuss the strategic importance of Central Asia to American foreign policy and national security

About the American Security Project: The American Security Project is a non-profit, non-partisan public policy and research organization dedicated to fostering knowledge and understanding of a range of national security issues, promoting debate about the appropriate use of American power, and cultivating strategic responses to 21st century challenges.

For more information, visit www.americansecurityproject.org. info@americansecurityproject.org

You can list to Josh’s first podcast report here:

Click here

You can also see a BBC report on NATO and Afghanistan featuring Josh here

Josh’s previous report can be found here:

NAto Summit May 20th 2012

Each day he will be reporting on whats happening and the atmosphere around the summit.

Yesterday evening he was at the Cubs game – in which Gen Allen threw out the ceremonial first pitch (the photo shows the military procession).

You can list to Josh’s first podcast report here:

Click here

You can also see Anders Fogh Rasmussen prepared remarks yesterday here: