Blog Posts tagged with "NATO"

Today, Baden-Württemberg (BW), Germany, celebrates the 60^th anniversary of officially becoming a state. I heartily congratulate them on this historic occasion.

BW has served as the host location for U.S. European Command (EUCOM) Headquarters since 1967. Our partnership with the community here has been an integral part of our command’s success, as we share the common vision of promoting a peaceful, stable region.

The year 2012 also marks the 60^th anniversary of EUCOM, which was established August 1, 1952. Over the past 60 years, the world has seen a lot of changes. However, one thing that has never changed is our need to forge and maintain ongoing solid, trusted relationships with countries in EUCOM’s area of responsibility – especially within NATO. By working together, and increasing our understanding of each other’s capabilities, we will continue to enhance our ability to respond to today’s global challenges and opportunities.

Those challenges are numerous. For example, last year we worked together with our NATO allies and coalition partners to save tens of thousands of lives from a despotic and unstable regime in Libya. Other examples include supporting continued progress and transition in Afghanistan and maintaining a safe environment in the Balkans. By sustaining vital relationships with our key allies and emerging partners in the region, the U.S. and its allies will be prepared to face the security challenges of the 21st century.

Baden-Württemberg represents a great combination of tradition with progress. I wish the people of BW a very happy birthday, and I look forward to continuing our valued partnership for years to come!

Best,
Jim

Admiral James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander Europe

In the world of security, we are generally focused on "risk."  We worry about the chances of war, the spread of weapons of mass destruction, the likelihood of a ballistic missile attack, or the possibility of a biological contagion. Understanding risk allows us to calculate how much we should spend on defense compared to what our potential opponents are spending.

Focusing on risk for organizations like NATO and the Department of Defense in the United States makes sense, of course.

But I think we should spend a bit of our most precious resource -- time -- on thinking about and developing opportunities.

Members of the Italian navy's Gruppo Operativo Incursori board a commercial ferry via fastrope from a US Navy Knight Hawk helicopter.

One way to think about the principal opportunities in the realm of security is building bridges.

Indeed, in this turbulent 21st century, security will ultimately come from building bridges, not walls. Frankly, we saw what 20th century security, which focused on walls brought us: the Maginot Line, the Iron Curtain, the battle formations of the Fulda Gap -- 60 million dead in the 20th century's wars.

I would argue that we need to take a lesson from the cyber world, where much is made of open source software and courseware, plugging together bodies of knowledge and making them widely available. It is a classic example of building connections and bridges.

What we need is "open source security." Not in all situations or with all actors, but rather as a part of a careful approach that exploits opportunities even as we prudently assess the risks.

Some of the areas that might yield results in searching for opportunities include:

• Coalitions and Alliances working together -- NATO, ISAF in Afghanistan, KFOR in Kosovo, and the multi-national counter-piracy efforts off the Horn of Africa are all good examples.
• Convergent technology -- IT, info, surveillance, and cyber all offer opportunities, to include the power of social media as we see in the continuing "Arab Spring"
• Private-Public Cooperation -- offers potential in humanitarian activities, medical diplomacy, disaster relief, and linked development. See my earlier blog on this exciting opportunity, as well as the linked article.
• Trends in Democracy -- the long sweep of history increasingly appears to be on the side of freedom and liberty, with all the attendant challenges.  That means it is harder for despots like Kaddaffy or repressive regimes like the Taliban to hold onto power.
• New Geopolitical Actors in Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, and other parts of the world who are emerging as positive actors with significant capability -- Brazil, Colombia, South Africa, and Indonesia, are great examples and there are many more.
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  Innovative Technologies with positive social implications -- there may be promise in desalinization, biological approaches to crop and food stocks, renewable energy sources, new approaches to education and healthcare.   See "Abundance: Why the Future is Better Than You Think" by Peter Diamandis.  All of these create opportunities in the security sector as well.

Let's face the fact that the world remains a very dangerous place, and risk analysis (and mitigation) is at the heart of defense planning -- rightly so.  But we should also find time for some "opportunity analysis" as well, to include exploring the idea of "open source security" where appropriate.

The future may be a bit brighter than we think.

Best,
Jim

Admiral, USN
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe
Commander, US European Command
"Stronger Together"

One of the most important things I do each year is to testify in front of the US Congress. I'm at home this weekend preparing carefully for this annual opportunity to lay out the challenges, linkages, and initiatives of U.S. European Command.

Admiral James Stavridis during last year's US House Armed Services Committee, Washington, USA. Image by Sebastian Kelm SGT German Army

While there are variations on the committees each year, it looks like this year I will go before the Senate Armed Services Committee (Chairman Senator Carl Levin, Ranking Member Senator John McCain), the House Armed Services Committee (Chairman Representative Buck McKeon, Ranking Member Representative Adam Smith); and possibly the Senate Appropriations Committee (Chairman Senator Dan Inoye, Ranking Member Senator Thad Cochrane).

I've testified many times over the past twenty years. The first time was in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee in 1994, when I was only a young Navy Commander in my first command at sea, USS BARRY. My ship had been under an extremely high operational tempo (over 70% of the time deployed over the previous two year period), and the committee was generally investigating all the services' readiness for combat. It was a very nerve-wracking experience for a relatively young officer, although the committee members were very cordial and supportive.

Chairman Mr McKeon during last year's US House Armed Services Committee, Washington, USA. Image by Sebastian Kelm SGT German Army

In the past six years, both as Commander of U.S. Southern Command and now at U.S. European Command, I've appeared many times. The hearings usually last about three hours, and consist of each Senator or Representative on the committee asking detailed questions about the state of the command and the general situation in theater.

Some of the ways I prepare for the hearings each year include:

• Drafting a detailed "posture statement" that lays out, at an unclassified level, the key issues we are facing, some of the geopolitical challenges, and what we are doing about it.
• Self study to make sure I have all the "facts and figures" more or less in memory -- everything from the number of troops and bases to the flow rates of narcotics to the latest casualty figures.
• Courtesy calls on some of the key Senators and Representatives to make sure I'm prepared to speak about the issues they are interested in hearing about.
• Reviewing all the relevant intelligence and open source information that might be of interest around the time of the hearings.

Sen. John McCain and SACEUR Admiral Stavridis. Image by Sebastian Kelm Sgt German Army

As I prepare for testimony at the end of this month, I've keyed in on the new US Defense strategy (which I wrote a bit about last week); the Euro crisis and how that affects defense spending on the continent; the NATO campaigns in Libya, Afghanistan, the Balkans, and the horn of Africa (piracy); US infrastructure in Europe and the current round of down-sizing there; events in key countries that are part of European Command's area of responsibility to include Russia, Israel, Turkey, and Poland; and our interagency and private-public initiatives.

Lucky for me I've got at least this one quiet weekend to spend studying!

Best,
Jim

Admiral, USN
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe
Commander, US European Command
"Stronger Together"

As I type this it is the 94^th anniversary of Lithuania’s Declaration of Independence (Feb. 16). Happy National Day to my friends in Vilnius! 

Lithuania is a steadfast ally and friend of the United States. Also, US European Command is a bilateral partner with Lithuania’s new national Energy Security Center, since both organizations signed a bilateral partnership memorandum in November 2011.

I just attended a Lithuania/NATO-hosted Energy Security Conference in Vilnius. It was cold there, very cold. It was -30C.  I can still hear the sound of the snow crunching under my feet. Did I say that it was cold? It was frigid outside as Lithuanian winter-related deaths from the arctic weather climbed. Yet, the cold made it a very appropriate setting for an Energy Security conference, as Russian gas exports to the European Union dropped by more than 30 percent due to Gazprom’s inability to satisfy both domestic and European demands.

Mike Anderson, US European Command’s J9 (second from left) with Lithuanian friends and colleagues at Lithuania’s Energy Security Center. From left, COL Romualdas Petevicius, Deputy Director, Anderson, Ms Rasa Pažarauskiene, Policy Chief, and Ambassador Audrius Bruzga, Center.

Lithuania is proud to note that they are an “energy island”. The NordStream pipeline takes Russian gas under the North Sea directly to Germany.  It intentionally bypasses Lithuania (and Poland). The country’s lone functional nuclear power plant is mandated by the EU to cease operations due to its risky construction. Poland’s much-touted shale gas veins, unfortunately for Lithuania, do not extend across the border. Lithuania is indeed an “energy island”.

Yet, Lithuania looks to turn that seeming disadvantage to an advantage. They have plans to construct a new, more secure nuclear power plant. They have also listened to NATO heads of state touting the importance of “energy security” at the past 3 NATO Summits (Riga -2006, Bucharest -2008, Lisbon -2010) and have raised their hands and offered to host a NATO Energy Security Center of Excellence.  I was there in Lithuania at the initial conference on the path to what they hope will be a COE.

At European Command J9, Interagency Partnering Directorate, we’ve been believers in Lithuania’s focus on energy security since they stood up their own national Energy Security Center in January 2011. We have responsibility for Energy Security on the EUCOM staff and host critical infrastructure engineers as well as representatives from the Departments of Energy and State. We visited the Center in March 2011 and hosted their Director and Deputy Director in Stuttgart during one of our exercises. We are impressed with their efforts to organize an operational-level, energy security-related exercise, ENERGEX 12, in September 2012. They are thinking now of how to help deployed military units reduce their dependence on fossil fuel – the number one commodity transported by ISAF in Afghanistan.

The world’s armed forces are the biggest consumers of energy. Our own US Army consumes more than any other public or private entity and uses more energy than 100 nations in the world. This Center is seeking innovative, deployable, renewable energy solutions for military units and looks to share best practices among allies. This, as NATO Secretary General Rasmussen has noted, is “Smart Defense”, something that will be touted by heads of state at the next NATO Summit in Chicago in May 2012, along with, I predict, again, energy security.

There were 18 of NATO’s 28 nations at this conference and a high confidence was expressed that this Center of Excellence is both timely and needed. There is more and more global energy consumption as economies develop and consequently there is greater reliance on critical energy infrastructure. This is a NATO area of interest, just as is producing clean, renewable energy for military units in the field.

There are presently 18 NATO Centers of Excellence – I like Lithuania’s chances of furnishing the 19^th. After all, this 1000 year old civilization, whose language is related to Sanskrit, has a well-earned reputation for adapting. They are also a basketball-crazy nation. I play basketball and what it is above all else, is a team sport. This is a necessary ingredient for hosting a Center of Excellence, which is also very much a “team sport”, focused on sharing best practices with friends.

Mike Anderson
Acting Director, J9 – Interagency Partnering Directorate 

I've just returned from a three day visit to Afghanistan.

As always, Afghanistan presents a mixed picture; but I remain cautiously optimistic that we can execute our planned transition to Afghan security responsibility across the country by the end of 2014. We are continuing to build on a successful 2011 from a security perspective.

Naturally, the challenges remain: I received a sobering brief on the depth of corruption in Afghan society, for example. The narcotics challenges -- representing perhaps 15% of the gross domestic product -- are immense. The situation with neighboring Pakistan remains difficult.

Yet overall, in the security sector, I believe we are making progress.

SACEUR and U.S. EUCOM, Admiral James Stavridis during briefing by MG Abdullan at FOB Gamberi, Afghanistan.

For example, I went to visit the Afghan 201st Corps Headquarters in the eastern part of the country Loghman province. Major General Abdullah, a veteran of fighting in "Soviet times," gave a solid and professional briefing about the work his team is doing around the province. They are continuing to benefit from partnering with a US Task Force, but are very clearly in the lead operationally. Of note is the opening of the crucial routes from historical Jallalabad on the border to Kabul.  His troops seem well-equipped and motivated.

SACEUR and U.S. EUCOM, Admiral James Stavridis during conversation with Governor of Laghman Province, Mohammad Iqbal Azizi.

I also visited with Provincial Governor Azizi, an urbane and energetic civil leader. He is satisfied with the progress in this largely agrarian region, and seems genuinely convinced that the quality of life is improving. He provided many statistics to support this view, from the thousands of young girls now in school to the fact that every adult seems to have a cell phone, as well as vastly improved medical care and basic services.

SACEUR and U.S. EUCOM, Admiral James Stavridis with COM RC-W, BG Luciano Portolano at FSB Camp Arena in Herat, Afghanistan.

After a day in Kabul -- including fascinating discussions with the Russian and Indian Ambassadors to Afghanistan, among many others -- I flew out to the distant west of the country: to Herat.  An ancient city, Herat is among the most stable locations in the country. The governor there spoke with deep pride of the girls' school next to his offices, with 4,000 children enrolled.  He introduced me to his vibrant prosecutor -- a woman -- who is aggressively attacking corruption. The Italian-Spanish led force in the west has a good plan to continue transferring responsibility fully to the Afghan Security Forces to maintain stability.

In a series of good discussions with our NATO Commanders, I came away with a sense that the transition to Afghan led security is on track.

Today about 50% of the population is under Afghan led security, and 40% of all operations in the country are Afghan led.  Afghans participate in over 90% of the total military operations. Coalition forces have made concrete gains on the ground, especially in the south -- Kandahar and Helmand -- where two years ago the Taliban held sway. Today the Afghan national flag flies, children are in government schools, and governance is taking hold. Overall attacks in the country are down about 10% from last year, the first drop in many years.

But as I said earlier, it is a mixed picture.  Anybody who says everything is going well is missing the mark. On the other hand, people who say everything is failing simply are refusing to look at the facts.

My personal sense is that we have a reasonable shot at completing a successful transition by the end of 2014, and if the international community continues to support the Afghan government and helps finance the security forces, I believe we can succeed.

Best,
Jim

Admiral, USN
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe
Commander, US European Command
"Stronger Together"

Ah, the Munich Security Conference.

Certainly the most prestigious of all the global security conferences, with routine appearances by heads of government, Defense and other ministers of state, brilliant academics, journalists and even a few Admirals and Generals.

This year's event over the past three days featured four key elements to my eye.

The first was a rare "dual appearance" by the US Secretary of Defense and Secretary of State, Leon Panetta and Hilary Clinton. They spoke in sequence to the audience, and their remarks were streamed live as well.

The theme both of them hit hard was the enduring importance of the European partnership to the United States.

Secretary Clinton said, "Europe is the partner of first-resort of the United States," and echoed President Obama's quote that "Europe remains the cornerstone of US engagement in the world." Secretary Panetta lauded European participation around the world with the US, notably through the NATO alliance. As he pointed out, there are nearly 40,000 European troops in Afghanistan alongside 88,000 Americans -- and their proportional casualty rates are as high overall.

The Munich Security Conference.

Certainly there are questions in the minds of Europeans as the new US defense strategy articulates an emphasis on the Pacific and Middle East.

My view is that while the US sees strategic challenge in the Pacific and Middle East, we see enduring strategic partnership in Europe; and strategic opportunity globally, to include Latin America and Africa.

The US is a global power and will continue to work broadly in the world, alongside our best "pool of partners" -- Europeans.

A second key theme that emerged was concern over events in Syria.

Several commentators, including Senator John McCain and the Nobel Laureate Tawakkul Karman, commented on the need for the international community and especially the UN security council to condemn the violence of the Assad regime. Senator McCain and Secretary of State Clinton both spoke in particular on the need for Russia and China to cease their vetoes of appropriate resolutions.

A third dialog that caught my attention was on cyber. I feel as though in the world of cyber, we have the greatest gap between the level of threat and the degree of preparation -- we have a long way to go. I'm working with the NATO Center of Excellence for cyber security and thinking through how we might be more operational, a la the new US CYBERCOM.

Fourth and finally, there seemed to be clarity on the overall timeline in Afghanistan.The NATO alliance and the ISAF coalition of 50 nations all concur that we are on track with our transition to Afghan led security operations, and we intend to hand over security responsibility for the entire country by the end of 2014. We have already moved to place 50% of the nation's population under Afghan security responsibility. This will allow us to continue the process of turning over to our Afghan partners, recognizing that there will be combat operations throughout this period -- albeit with an increasing role for support to Afghans.

There is also a nascent discussion about what the ISAF and NATO presence will be post-2014. It will clearly include ongoing cooperation in the security sector, as evidenced by pledges at the 100-nation / international organization Bonn conference last fall -- stay tuned for the May Chicago NATO/ISAF summit.

All in all, a good conference that lived up to its billing as a top-flight gathering of those concerned about 21st century security.

Best,
Jim

Admiral, USN
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe
Commander, US European Command
"Stronger Together"
 

After a busy week of meetings and presentations in London, Berlin, and Washington DC, I am beginning to see the outline of key NATO conversations at the summit in May.

Every two years, the alliance holds a meeting at the level of heads of state and government. Prime Minister Cameron of England, Chancellor Merkel of Germany, President Obama of the USA, and all of their contemporaries will attend. It is an opportunity to conduct the business of NATO at the very highest level.

 The last summit was held in Lisbon, Portugal, in the fall of 2010. The key "deliverable" at that summit was the new Strategic Concept for NATO, the guiding document we are following as we move forward in this turbulent 21st century. The previous Strategic Concept had been written in 1999 -- before 9/11 -- and was clearly out of date.

Over the intervening two years, the alliance has continued to work hard operationally on three continents. We have made progress in Afghanistan, conducted a UN-sanctioned mission in Libya, reduced our force size in the Balkans while delivering a safe and secure environment, begun to implement missile defense over Europe, and taken on other challenges.

As I look ahead a few months to Chicago, I suspect this will be conversations on a handful of important issues.

Here I am saluting Afghan police students during my visit to NPTC in Wardak, Afghanistan.

The first will certainly be Afghanistan. From my level as essentially the "operations officer" for NATO, I think the nations need to decide what our mission will look like post-2014. There are already important pledges in place indicating the alliance's intent to remain significantly engaged in Afghanistan. What will that mean specifically?

Will there be a troop presence? How will we collectively fund and support the Afghan Security Forces?

A second important conversation will center around missile defense.

Given the increasing threat from the proliferation of ballistic missile technology, NATO has committed to an alliance missile defense capability. This will be an important conversation, and will of course hopefully include the Russian Federation.

In addition to these operational issues, a third topic will probably be Smart Defense. This is a term coined by Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, and implies a wide range of pooling, sharing, and specializing. While not designed to rationalize cuts in defense, the concept will deliver efficiencies and maximize the capabilities delivered by the member nations.

Fourth, given the range of missions and locations in which we are engaged, it seems logical that there might be a conversation about partnering beyond the 28 member states of NATO. Today in Afghanistan, 50 nations are present with "boots on the ground."  In Libya, our Arab partners were particularly effective. The counter-piracy mission off the Horn of Africa has India, Russia, China and many other "non-traditional" NATO partners involved together. How to enhance and develop these kinds of

partnerships will probably be part of the conversation.

There is a lot to discuss, and world events may change the agenda between now and Chicago. But I'd guess those four topics will be part of the conversation, representing as they do some of the key challenges the alliance faces today.

Admiral James Stavridis
Commander
U.S. European Command

As I look back on 2011, I think we had a reasonably good year in the operational sense.  Lots of good “end of the year” retrospectives are appearing in various magazines and on-line sites, and I thought I’d chip in with my own top five operational moments for the Alliance this past year – and a hope that it stays at least relatively quiet between now and the end of the year.

Libyan Operations.  At the top of my list is the seven month operation we undertook at the request of the United Nations to protect the people of Libya from a repressive and ruthless dictator.  It was successfully completed in late October. 

DECIMOMANNU - A Dutch F-16 fighter takes off from Sardinia, Italy. The Netherlands contribute to the enforcement of the Operation Unified Protector No-Fly Zone. (NATO photo)

We conducted 26,000 aircraft sorties and intercepted over 3,000 ships in the course of conducting a no-fly zone and an arms embargo.  In order to limit the ability of the Libyan regime to attack its own people, we conducted nearly 9,000 strike sorties and hit well over 6,000 targets, effectively destroying much of the “kill chain.”  While no operation is perfect, we tried very hard to limit collateral damage to the minimum.  Overall we learned a great deal and will work on improving targeting, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, air refueling, and other aspects of our capabilities.

Afghanistan Transition and Operations.  In November, the government of Afghanistan announced a second group of provinces and districts that began transition to Afghan Security Force-led operations.  This brings about 50% of the entire population of Afghanistan under the protection of Afghan Army and Police units, with the international coalition and NATO in a support, mentorship, and training role in this area.

Our plan to complete a full transition by the end of 2014 remains on track, although significant challenges remain, especially in relations with Pakistan.  We suffered from a cross-border incident that included the tragic deaths of 24 Pakistani soldiers and is under investigation today.  We’re hoping to improve coordination and cooperation across the border as the New Year unfolds.

Due to a series of violent incidents in northern Kosovo, our NATO Commander requested and has in hand an over-the-horizon security force to help maintain a safe and secure environment.  I’ll be headed there personally soon to evaluate and present options to NATO.  Clearly, this is a politically charged situation and the EU is working hard to bring the parties together.

Reductions in Piracy.  After several years of rising attack levels, we may be seeing progress against attacks in the second half of 2011.  Success rates for attacks have dropped considerably, and there are fewer attacks than during this period last year.  Some of the reasons for this include patrolling by NATO, EU, and various national forces at sea; pressure ashore militarily and in the area of development; better practices at sea by civilian mariners (convoys and citadels, for example); and the addition of armed security teams. 

NATO remains committed to the counter-piracy mission, and our ships will continue to sail in the area off the coast of Africa for the foreseeable future.

Missile Defense Unfolding.  The first steps in creating a new, alliance-based missile defense system in Europe are in progress.  The United States, providing a sea-based AEGIS system initially, has sent ships to sea as a framework.  NATO is putting in place the command-and-control system to ensure we do this right.  The hope is to offer an initial capability in time for the May 2012 summit in Chicago.  While a challenging timeline, I think we can and will make it.  Stay tuned!

Overall, we’ve done quite a bit in NATO operations in 2011 – with 170,000 operators on three continents at our peak during Libyan operations.  We’re also doing things in cyber, restructuring and stream-lining our command structures (cutting 6 major HQ and 4,000 billets, for example), air policing, and many other things.

It’s been a busy year, but a good one overall. 

Admiral James Stavridis
Commander
U.S. European Command

“Up from the ground, come a bubblin’ crude, oil that is, Black Gold, Texas Tea…”

If you grew up in the U.S. in the 1960s you can probably finish the rest of this song or at least hum a bit of it -- the opening lyrics of the then popular TV show “The Beverly Hillbillies”.  I believe that this was my first exposure to the power, importance, and wealth of oil -- heck, the discovery of it by Jed Clampett was potent enough make him a millionaire and  transport him and  his family of Jethro, Elly May, and Granny to the warm environs of southern California complete with “... swimmin’ pools … movie stars!”

During my service with the military I’ve come to appreciate the value of energy writ large, not just oil or gas for heating, but other hydrocarbon products such as refined gasoline for powering military vehicles, aircraft and field generators, and more recently, non-traditional “green” energy sources, such as wind and solar, used to provide power to deployed, remote Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRT) or bases. 

Indeed, Energy Security has today become a U.S. national security issue and is among NATO’s emerging security challenges. NATO’s 2010 Strategic Concept charges the Alliance to “…develop the capacity to contribute to energy security, including protection of critical energy infrastructure…and contingency planning.”

In response to that charge, Lithuania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of National Defense established an “Energy Security Center” in Vilnius in January 2011. The then-U.S. Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, congratulated the Lithuanians on the launch and promised in a March 29 letter that “European Command (EUCOM) will have a team visit Vilnius in conjunction with its interagency representatives…”

Two days later I was proud to lead that EUCOM delegation to Vilnius. I travelled there with J9-hosted agency representatives from the Department of Energy and the Department of State, as well as a J9 critical infrastructure specialist.  At the conclusion of our two days of meetings with our host, former Lithuanian Ambassador to the United States, Audrius Bruezga, and members of his team we brainstormed about how EUCOM could best support the innovative and embryonic center. We promised to invite our Lithuanian allies to view a EUCOM exercise, encouraged them to interact with the Business Executives for National Security (BENS, a private sector organization), and together we considered the possibility of signing an informal partnership agreement between EUCOM and the Lithuanian Energy Center.

Well, fast forward 8 months and here in Stuttgart this week we signed such a partnership agreement:  a “Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Energy Security Center under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania and the United States European Command.”

Rear Adm. Charlie Martoglio, our Chief of Staff, signed for EUCOM and Ambassador Bruezga, now the Director of the Lithuanian Center, signed for his government. The Lithuanian Center has also made promising contact with the BENS organization and attended our annual exercise Flexible Leader and took back to Vilnius valuable lessons, ideas and best practices.    

Cooperation on Energy Security issues is in Lithuania’s and the United State’s common interests. The MOU outlines ways in which both organizations, EUCOM and the Energy Security Center, can continue to work and coordinate together. But not just common interests brought us together. Like the good judgment that oil-rich Jed Clampett often exhibited, this arrangement also makes good common sense, sense that even Jethro, with his vaunted “6th grade education”, would recognize.

Mike Anderson
Acting Director, J9-Interagency Partnering Directorate

“We don’t necessarily like the verb “lead”… given our past.” 

“Unlike NATO, the EU lacks a 'Big Brother' with capability, push, and leadership."

“You could say that we Germans are reluctant to assist by picking up the bill for Greece, Ireland and Italy.”

Visit by U.S. and German military and defense civilians participating in the Bundeswehr’s Higher Command Course, to NATO Headquarters in Brussels Oct. 10.

These were some comments I heard recently from two representative groups of German society; a military group and a business group.  The military group consisted of 25 Colonels from the Bundeswehr’s Higher Command and Staff Course, Germany’s most senior course for Colonels. They invited me and 13 other Americans to join them Oct. 10-15 on visits to NATO and the EU in Brussels, and to the German Bundestag, Chancellery and various Ministries in Berlin. The business group was the Stuttgart Chapter of the American Chamber of Commerce, German businessmen and women whose export-oriented businesses often target the American market and who visited our European Command (EUCOM) headquarters on Oct. 19.

 Despite the above statements professing modesty and a reluctance to lead or assist, after meeting these two groups I was left with the decided impression that “leading” and “assisting” are exactly what our German hosts are doing these days, and doing well. I say German hosts because the vast majority of the 100,000 U.S. military personnel based in Europe, members of our European Command, are hosted here in Germany. Four of our five Component Commands, and the EUCOM Headquarters itself, where I work, are all located in Germany; in Heidelberg, Ramstein or Stuttgart.

A visit to the German Ministry of Defense and a meeting with Germany’s Chief of Defense, General Wiekar, was a good reminder that Germany is a “leader” in Afghanistan; the 3rd largest troop contributor (behind the US and UK) they lead ISAF’s Regional Command North with 4,900 of their own soldiers and the participation of 18 other nations, and their Provincial Reconstruction Teams are notable examples of NATO’s “Comprehensive Approach” in practice. Also regarding Afghanistan, we were informed at the German Foreign Ministry that Bonn will host the largest international conference since World War II, focused on rebuilding Afghanistan, on Dec. 5.

Germany also leads in another NATO mission, Kosovo Force (KFOR). There they provide 1,500 soldiers out of a force of some 6,200 and have provided the Commander of the KFOR mission for the past 3 rotations. They also furnish the Operational Reserve Battalion to KFOR, a force recently deployed in the wake of rioting north of the Ibar River in northern Kosovo. Notwithstanding the understandable protestation of the average German not wanting to “bail out” their Greek and Italian neighbors, this is exactly what Germany has been doing of late. 

A visit to the German Mission to the EU and to the EU Parliament, which represents some 500 million Europeans, reinforced this point, but so too have recent headlines. They have noted  that the  rescue plan for the Euro and a bailout package for Greece as only occurring due to the pivotal leadership role played by Germany. No “Big Brother” for the EU?  I think one exists in Germany, who while often shying away from the public leadership mantle definitely has the capability to push and lead the European Union behind the scenes. 

I also witnessed German “leadership” in the business sector as we hosted German businesses from the AmCham in Stuttgart.  Here were representatives of an export industry in Baden Wuerttemberg that have made Germany the #2 exporting nation in the world (second only to China). They have contributed to making Germany’s $3 trillion economy the economic locomotive of the EU, easily outpacing the other larger EU nations of France and the UK. Theses businessmen produce sexy Porsche and Mercedes automobiles, but also unsexy Bosch electrical components and high quality, heavy industrial machinery.

Weihnachts Markets, Gluhwein, a purchase of a new VW or BMW, “Stuttgart 21”, that Gasthaus with those incredibly large Schnitzel, or the success of the German national Fussball team’s advancement (10 straight wins)  to the European Championships in Poland and Ukraine next year, these might be some of your current “German thoughts." May I suggest that a thought or two about our German host’s economic and military leadership, responsible leadership at that, on display from within the EU, to Kosovo, to Afghanistan, might also be appropriate? 

Mike Anderson, Acting Director,
J9-Interagency Partnering Directorate
 

Here I am saluting Afghan police students during my visit to NPTC in Wardak, Afghanistan.

I just attended literacy training -- in Wardak Province, Afghanistan.

The class was full of Afghan National Police recruits.

It is part of the ongoing effort to increase literacy in the Afghan Security Forces, led by the NATO Training Mission in Afghanistan and US Army Lieutenant General Bill Caldwell. The visit was the capstone event in a three day trip to Kabul, Kandahar, and Wardak.

Overall, the trip reinforced my sense that we are making good progress in the security sector. In briefings by the Commanding Generals in the South and East of the country -- where most of the security challenges lie -- it is clear that they have solid plans, sufficient forces, and are making steady inroads into the insurgency. In the south, for example, there are 20,000 coalition troops; but more importantly, there are over 40,000 Afghan troops. That 2:1 ratio of Afghan to coalition repeats itself in the east.

This is a big improvement over the past couple of years. It is also the reason that enemy-initiated attacks are down overall around 10% across the country from last year, and much more than that in the south and southwest. The *fighting season* has clearly been a disappointment to the Taliban who predicted a big upsurge in attacks and casualties, which has not emerged.

Afghan national police students during a dynamic presentation at NPTC in Wardak, Afghanistan.

More and more operations are Afghan-led and that is a good sign that the transition to Afghan-led security operations is well underway and working. Today, 25% of the Afghan population is under Afghan lead for security; within a few more months, that will be at 50%, which keeps us on track for a full transition by 2014.

There are certainly challenges in the security sector, including corruption (a "second insurgency" as one shrewd Afghan observer said to me recently). Also, the ability of the insurgency to move across the porous border with Pakistan presents a serious challenge to our efforts.

But overall, I remain cautiously optimistic about our plan and our progress in the security sector.

Here I am visiting Role 3 Hospital in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

On my trip I also visited a hospital and saw the energy in Kandahar city, the second largest population center in Afghanistan. I received good updates on work in the judicial sector from the NATO Rule of Law Support Force. And I met with General John Allen, our superb NATO commander and the deeply experienced US Ambassador, Ryan Crocker. I also met with the Afghan Minister of Defense and lead for Transition, as well as the Chief of the Afghan Armed Forces. They have a clear-eyed view of the challenges ahead and are addressing them in a measured and sensible fashion.

But let me focus for a moment on literacy. The ability to read is limited in large segments of the Afghan population. Why? Because the Taliban largely restricted attendance to school during their period in power. They only allowed 600,000 children to attend school, all of them boys. Today there are 8 million boys and girls in school (40% female), so Afghanistan will "grow their way out" of the problem in another few years.

But today, there is a high demand for literate Afghans in all walks of life for the economy. One way the security forces can recruit for their all-volunteer force is by offering literacy training. So today all Army and Police recruits who cannot read undergo a well-taught course that starts them toward real literacy. The courses are taught by Afghan civilians, and I had the opportunity to spend some time in one of the classrooms.

Here I am speaking to Afghan police students during my visit to NPTC.

Two dozen very earnest young men in their early-to-mid twenties sit in a circle around their instructor. He is using traditional methods of teaching -- a white board, calling students to the blackboard to display their skills, books with pictures and letters. The course is fast-paced because the young recruits are hungry to learn. You can see it in their eyes and in the way their books are very thoroughly handled and marked up. The goal is to get everyone up to a 3rd grade level, and to afford downstream opportunities to continue to improve. So far, 200,000 Afghan security force members have been through or are enrolled in the training. This will be a very long lasting contribution to security and stability in Afghanistan.

Outside the classroom, not everything is going well, of course. There will be economic challenge in the next several years as the NATO-led coalition gradually reduces troops numbers and the purchase of goods and services slows in the country. Governance and corruption will present challenges as well. International conferences in Istanbul, Bonn, and the NATO summit in Chicago next spring will need to help address these problems.

But when I look back at where we were in the spring of 2009, two-and-a-half years ago, I can see the progress -- especially in the development of the Afghan security forces and the ongoing transition. I visit Afghanistan frequently, and my sense at this moment is that there is indeed hope in the time ahead, along with all the challenges.

Best,
Jim

Admiral, USN
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe
Commander, US European Command
"Stronger Together"

I’ve just returned home from several days in Russia, a country which has always fascinated me. We need to learn more about Russia if we are going to find ways to improve our cooperation with them in a NATO context.

During a wreath laying ceremony at the Hall of Military Glory in Volgograd, Russia

My visit was part of NATO’s outreach and desire to develop a “true strategic partnership with Russia,” as it says in the Strategic Concept approved at the Lisbon Summit last fall. In my role as the Supreme Allied Commander, I continue to search for zones of cooperation with the Russian military.

The meetings in Moscow and Volgograd were all very useful. I spent lots of time with my colleague and friend General Nikolay Makarov, the energetic and thoughtful Chief of the General Staff (the counterpart of newly installed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Marty Dempsey).

Joint press statement at the Russian MoD

General Makarov is working hard on reforming the Russian military, including developing a professional NCO corps, enhanching officer training and mobility, creating a new rational command structure, focusing on more high technology weapons systems and changing tactical structures to include a brigade-level combat formation. He faces great challenges, but is attacking them directly.

We also talked about the US missile defense system for Europe, which is beginning to take shape. This eight year project will arrive in phases and it consists of AEGIS missile ships at sea, land-based radars and eventually land-based missiles systems.

Wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow.

The US missile defense system will eventually connect with a NATO structure, and the hope is to achieve some level of coordination and cooperation with Russia. While there are technical and political challenges which we discussed frankly, I remain very hopeful and cautiously optimistic these can be overcome through dialog and transparency on both sides — time will tell.

In meetings with Foreign Minister Lavrov and National Security Advisor Patrushef, we also discussed missile defense. I met with Ambassador Dimitry Rogozin, the Russian Ambassador to NATO, who is the practical connection at the political level on all of these efforts.

Two other key topics were Afghanistan and piracy operations — in both spheres we have good cooperation with the Russian Federation. In Afghanistan, Russia has been broadly supportive of coalition efforts including affording us key transit rights, selling and donating equipment to the Afghans, and helping strongly on counter-narcotic efforts.

The piracy operation is likewise a good model of cooperation, with Russian ships alongside NATO vessels (and ships from the European Union, many Gulf states, China, and India as well). While the challenges off the Horn of Africa persist, Russian cooperation and coordination has been very helpful and we discussed how to improve it.

Battle of Stalingrad war memorial: "Motherland Calls"

On the final day, while flying home, I visited in the south of Russia with the leadership of the Russia’s Southern Military District Commander. We focused on their recent military exercises and regional security perspectives.

While there, I had a chance to see the massive memorial to the Battle of Stalingrad. It is a huge statue of a Russian woman with a sword, inspiring and protecting those headed into battle. In 1942, in perhaps the pivotal battle of Europe, nearly 3 million people died during the roughly 200 days of the battle. At the briefings later, one of the Russian Generals said simply but emotionally, “they died for Russia.”

While we certainly have areas of disagreement with Russia, the potential to improve an already reasonable level of operational cooperation with NATO is high. This trip convinced me that we should continue to pursue ways in which NATO and Russia can work together.

Best,
Jim

Admiral, USN
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe
Commander, US European Command
“Stronger Together” 

This coming week, the 28 Ministers of Defense of the NATO alliance will gather in Brussels for meetings and discussions. They will be accompanied by another 22 Ministers from additional troop contributing nations in Afghanistan — in essence, the entire coalition will be represented.

NAC meeting in Defence Ministers session in June 2011.

As Supreme Allied Commander, one of my jobs is to brief the Ministers.

I’ll be talking about Afghanistan, but also about Libya, Kosovo, and several other key topics. It should be a busy and important week as our Secretary General, Anders Rasmussen, really begins the push toward the big NATO summit in late summer of 2012.

Adm Stavridis during his visit to Camp Ghazi, Afghanistan, watching NCO training, June 2011

On Afghanistan, I will present an honest picture of a challenging operation. My own sense is that we continue to make reasonable progress in the security sphere. I can tick off the indicators of progress, including topping 300,000 Afghan security forces trained and in the field; many key insurgents captured or killed; a successful transition to Afghan led security in 25% of Afghanistan, with a plan for another 25% in the coming months; 120,000 Afghan security personnel in literacy training to give a few examples.

There are, of course, challenges. Of note, recent attacks in Kabul (although deaths were very few, they achieved a great deal of publicity) and the assassination of Professor Rabbanni, who had led the reconciliation commission are setbacks. And the Haqanni network continues to be a thorn in the side of progress, as well as ongoing need to tackle corruption. So it is a mixed picture, but one that I would say shows progress toward our goal of turning over full transition to Afghan led security operations by the end of 2014.

In terms of Libya, the picture is reasonably good. Our missions of protecting civilians, conducting an arms embargo, and enforcing a no-fly zone are coming to a successful conclusion. When the last few Kaddaffy forces surrender, which I would anticipate within a few weeks at most, we will be prepared to recommend an end to NATO military operations.
When to conclude and under what criteria are of course political decisions, but I’m sure the Ministers will discuss that following my operational brief.

SACEUR during his visit to Kosovo, May 2011

As I look at the Balkans, I’m a bit worried by recent violence in the north. It is incumbent on all parties to work toward a peaceful, negotiated solution. Our NATO forces, ably led by German two-star General Erhard Dreves, will continue to preserve a safe and secure environment so that the EU can facilitate a peaceful dialog.

So it is a busy time around the alliance, with 160,000 Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen engaged in active service on three continents. I will do my best to present an honest, balanced, and coherent picture to the Ministers as they undertake the hard policy and political work of deciding how we go forward in our important work.

Best,
Jim

Admiral, USN
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe
Commander, US European Command
“Stronger Together”

Some people say that there is nothing an admiral likes better than a few scurvy pirates to chase around. Take it from an admiral: not really.

Unfortunately, the Somali pirates have become far more than a nuisance, and they are introducing billions of dollars worth of discontinuity into the global shipping grid and international defence budgets.

Indeed, I'm preparing for meetings in London with the International Maritime Organization, so I've been thinking quite a bit about the NATO mission against piracy lately.

Here are some of the numbers that reflect the problem (statistics provided by IMO):

• Pirate attacks off eastern Africa in 2008: 111 
• Pirate attacks off eastern Africa in 2009: 218
• Pirate attacks off eastern Africa in 2010: 219
• Pirate attacks off eastern Africa until July 2011: 163
• Cost to shipping industry in lost time, re-routing, ransoms, insurance, security equipment: $6.4 billion
• Cost to nations for patrol ships, aircraft, legal costs: $2 billion
• Prosecutions and piracy deterrent organizations: $50 million
• Cost to regional economies: $1.25 billion
• Lives lost to pirates: 63 (2006-2011)
• Current number of ships held hostage for ransom: 13 (updated Aug. 30, 2011)
• Current number of mariners held hostage for ransom: 322 (updated Aug. 30, 2011)
• Longest distance from African coast of an attack: 1,460 nautical miles
• Square miles of pirate infested waters: 1.2 million

Today, there is a global coalition of over 20 nations involved in patrolling the waters of the Indian Ocean, North Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and South Red Sea. On any given day, there are more than 25 ships and aircraft, with thousands of mariners and airmen involved in the policing efforts.

In addition to NATO's Operation Ocean Shield, which consists usually of 2-4 ships from the Alliance's Standing Maritime Groups and associated aircraft, the European Union operates the most robust presence, with 4-6 ships and aircraft. The United States leads a loose coalition operating out of the Gulf as well. There are also many nations deploying ships unilaterally to the region, which have included India, Russia, China, South Korea, Iran, Malaysia, Australia, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Singapore, Ukraine, Yemen and Japan.

All these nations cooperate together operationally and coordinate their efforts during the monthly meetings of the SHADE (Shared Awareness and Deconfliction) group, held in Bahrain. This meeting provides a platform for coordination of activities between the maritime industry and NATO (Operation Ocean Shield), EU (Operation ATALANTA), the US-led Coalition Maritime Force, and individual nations with maritime assets in the region.

Clearly, we are not going to solve the problem of piracy at sea. We can only treat the symptoms there. To get a sense of the pirate activity ashore, I recommend a novel by Elmore Leonard, "Djibouti," and the newly released non-fiction study by Jay Bahadur, "The Pirates of Somalia."

Both give a real flavor of the depth of the problem.

Unfortunately, we are starting to see interest in the pirate business model from terrorist organizations, of which there is no shortage in the Horn of Africa, notably Al-Shabab. They see the activity as a potential funding stream as well as a possible venue for spectacular attacks.

The good news is that this is one issue the entire international community generally agrees upon and is working together to solve. The bad news is that it is a complex problem that will not be solved at sea alone. It will require work by the shipping industry (armed embarked teams, convoy participation, sharing information) as well as judicial and development agencies (legal mechanisms to overcome "catch and release," incarceration plan) in concert with international security actors.

In the end, this is yet another area that will require international, interagency, and private-public cooperation to solve.

ADM James Stavridis
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe
Commander, US European Command

NATO Shipping Centre (includes PDF downloadable version of Best Management Practices 4): http://www.shipping.nato.int/Pages/default.aspx
NATO Self Protection Measures Video http://www.shipping.nato.int/Pages/SelfProtectionVideo.aspx

Dr. Evelyn Farkas

A few weeks ago, I had the unique and exciting opportunity to address the 28-member NATO Military Committee regarding Public-Private Collaboration.

I started by defining Public-Private Collaboration -- an interaction between government and the commercial or non-profit private sector. Unlike the traditional government-private sector relationship, collaboration does not necessarily entail a financial interest or transaction. The objective for both sides is to foster efficiency and effectiveness.

I figured the best way to explain the complex idea of Public-Private Collaboration was to provide examples. I spoke about how EUCOM teamed up with a non-profit organization called "Project Hope" in order to share expertise on traumatic brain injury with our allies in Estonia; this project that could potentially help those affected by the most common injury seen in military personnel returning from Afghanistan. You can see Admiral Stavridis write more about the collaboration here.

I went on to raise a key underlying question: "Why should the public and private sectors collaborate today?"

The answer? The complex challenges that we face around the world today often require skills and approaches beyond traditional military capabilities. Collaboration allows us to meet these challenges utilizing specific expertise found in the private sector. The private sector can provide agility, swift innovation, and a unique resource set.

Vice Adm. Richard K. Gallagher, the US MIlitary Representative to NATO; me; and Michael Ritchie, EUCOM's Director of Interagency Partnering

Together, government and private entities can reduce shared risks, minimize costs, and address mutual threats like terrorism, organized crime, cyber attacks, and climate change. The government gains access to the private sector's expertise and resources, and private sector entities benefit from the information sharing involved in collaboration and the legitimacy gained from meeting complex challenges to provide for the greater good.

Though the focus on my talk was on the relationship between the U.S. government and the private sector, the concept of collaboration has not been confined to the United States. In 2006, NATO adopted a comprehensive approach that recognized the need to build partnerships with non-military entities both inside and outside the government. With this in mind, in 2008, NATO launched the Building Integrity Initiative, which works with private NGOs like Transparency International, to reduce corruption in defense establishments in Europe and Afghanistan.

From there, I explained that collaboration does not come without a set of challenges. First, is the issue of trust. Neither sector likes to broadly share information about vulnerabilities. Corporations worry that it could lead to the public revelation of weaknesses and of sensitive intellectual property. The government is cautious about disclosing national security vulnerabilities to private entities that have international ownership or global interests and about safeguarding the privacy of U.S. citizens. And finally, there is the problem of how to institutionalize this collaboration. Because the responsibility for advancing public-private collaboration is so decentralized, optimization and coordination of efforts across the government has proven to be difficult.

The presentation sparked many constructive questions from committee members. Their active participation in considering how governments and NATO could work with the private sector was energizing and their interest opened the door to greater coordination between EUCOM and NATO, starting with our public-private team and colleagues at Allied Command -Transformation.

Evelyn N. Farkas, Ph.D.
Senior Advisor for Public-Private Partnership
to the Supreme Allied Commander (SACEUR)
and Commander, U.S. European Command

Libya and Afghanistan seem to get all the headlines about NATO these days. But lately, I've been thinking and working on the Balkans. We need to make sure that the Balkan ghosts of violence from the 1990s don't reappear.

The key NATO mission in the Balkans, of course, is Kosovo. At one time, NATO and our coalition partners had 50,000 troops stationed there in the early part of the last decade. When I arrived here in 2009, we still had over 15,000 troops from 32 nations maintaining a "safe and secure environment."

Over the past two years, we've been able to draw that down to our current level of just over 5,000. We've seen the Kosovo Security Force build up and take over a variety of duties related to emergency response, humanitarian assistance, and so forth. Dialog has been underway between Kosovo and Serbia.

Yet the past week has been troubling, in that we've seen a flare-up of tensions in the north of Kosovo, where a large percentage of the population is ethnically Serbian and maintains close links to that country. We've seen shootings, the death of a Kosovo police officer, fires, and road-blocks.

Working closely with the European Union mission (called EULEX), our NATO and coalition forces (KFOR) have managed to ensure an uneasy peace which has held so far. But this is a matter of real concern.

Political discussions between Serbia and Kosovo continue, and the border tensions are at the center of the dialog. It is important for NATO and coalition forces to maintain a safe and secure environment so the political entities involved (Serbia, Kosovo, EU, various national embassies) can work toward peaceful solutions.

While the Balkans have been an overall success story for NATO (after all, well over 100,000 people were killed during ethnic violence in the 1990s), we all need to stay engaged to make sure the region doesn't fall backward.

NATO and our coalition partners in Kosovo are committed to ensuring we move forward with stability and minimal violence.

Adm. James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe

I hosted the French Chief of Defense last Friday for important talks at my headquarters in Mons, Belgium. One of the key topics was Libya.

DECIMOMANNU - A Dutch F-16 fighter takes off from Sardinia, Italy. The Netherlands contribute to the enforcement of the Operation Unified Protector No-Fly Zone. (NATO photo)

NATO is conducting operations over Libya to support UN resolutions 1970 and 1973, which call for establishing an arms embargo, instituting a "no-fly" zone, and protecting the civilian population of Libya. These missions are going reasonably well, particularly the no-fly zone and arms embargo which are both clear mission successes.

In terms of protecting the people of Libya, over the past four months the alliance has flown over 16,000 sorties including more than 6,500 strikes against Qadhafi’s cumulative system of lethal force – which runs from the muzzle of a weapon, to the tank or armored personnel carrier, to the fuel that goes into it, to the ammo storage site, and ultimately to the command and control system that directs it. We have significantly degraded the regime's ability to hurt and kill the civilian population of Libya.

Our European partners are in the lead in this operation. Given the location of Libya and the potential for mass migration across the Mediterranean, this seems appropriate. The US continues to provide key enablers, including fuel, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, while other nations -- both in the air and at sea -- perform the bulk of the kinetic missions.

Crew members from the Spanish frigate Mendez Nunez board a vessel for inspection as part of NATO's Operation Unified Protector, which includes the enforcement of the arms embargo under UNSCR 1973. (NATO photo)

It seems clear that events are moving against the Qadhafi regime. There are many defections, both military and civilian. The regime's military machine is a shadow of its former capability, when Qadhafi was threatening the gates of Benghazi and predicting "streets running with blood." The civilian population is gaining ground in the mountains, around the important city of Misrata, and on the coastal road. Over thirty countries have recognized the opposition as the sole legitimate government of Libya.

NATO operators are proud to be engaged in supporting these important UN Security Council resolutions, and we have sufficient military capacity to continue. And it is worth noting that while not every member of the alliance is engaged in all of the missions, the entire command structure -- all 28 nations represented -- is the command and control for the operation. We are smoothly integrating several Arab nations as well, a historical first.

From a NATO operational perspective, we'll continue to energetically and aggressively enforce the UN Security Council resolutions. We are also involved with the coordination of humanitarian assistance operations -- nearly a thousand of them so far. And we'll be ready if called upon for further operations in Libya.

Adm. James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe

 

Muenster City Hall, image courtesy Wikimedia

The Treaty of Westphalia, signed in 1648 in the Rathaus of Muenster, Germany, ended one of Europe’s bloodiest periods: the Thirty Years War (1618-1648) fought mostly on German soil, and 80 years of war between Spain and the Dutch Republic. Today two nations that benefitted from that peace treaty, Germany and the Netherlands (it achieved its independence as a result), are the framework nations for a multinational NATO High Readiness Corps headquartered in Muenster.

Photo courtesy German/Netherlands Corps

Last week I attended an interagency symposium hosted by the 1st German/Netherlands Corps held at both the Corps headquarters and in the Peace Room (Friedenssaal), the signatory room of the Peace of Westphalia. Below you can see a photo of our symposium and a work of art depicting the 1648 ratification. In terms of comparisons, we had about 100 participants at our event, while the diplomats represented at the peace treaty numbered about 200. Some of our participants were women, unlike in 1648. Our own EUCOM diplomat, Ambassador Heather Hodges, the interim Civilian Deputy to the Commander, was present at our meeting and is in the front row. Another contrast: the diplomats of 17th century Europe stayed in Muenster much longer than we did, as the treaties were negotiated over 5 years - we were there for just a day.

Why were we in Muenster? We got together to discuss the relevance of NATO’s “Comprehensive Approach.” There werediplomats present, as previously mentioned, and soldiers, academics, and representatives from think-tanks, NGOs, and international organizations such as the UN and International Red Cross. The consensus of those attending the symposium? That just as back in 1648, collaboration and cooperation are essential for peace. We agreed that the “3D” approach (Diplomacy, Development, Defense) is a necessary answer to the crises of the world. It is, in fact, indispensable.

Complex modern-day crises compel all stakeholders to sit with each other, to dialogue (“interaction on steroids,” as one participant noted), to share information, to be transparent and to use the “Comprehensive Approach” as a means to an end. This is not unlike what the diplomats of the 17th century were compelled to do in Muenster in order to bring about a commonly sought peace after decades of war.

Photo courtesy German/Netherlands Corps

EUCOM’s J9 Interagency Partnering Directorate has been working closely with the German/Dutch Corps over the past 10 months, building a table-top exercise (18-21 September) called “COMMON EFFORT” which will exercise a “3D” response to a notional crisis. Our aim -- as was noted by a Dutch speaker at the symposium --  is to seek a solution to a crisis which is “as civilian as possible, and as military as necessary.” We recognize that the military will likely often be a part of a solution to an international emergency. But we also recognized that the military was not and should not be the whole solution. For that reason, it is essential that we at EUCOM and other military commands, work closely with diplomats, development officials, and non-governmental stakeholders in order to achieve pragmatic solutions on the ground.

It was a unique experience to be in the same famed, gabled structure that once played host to one of the most famous peace treaties in European and western history. It was inspiring to be there in that room and to be surrounded by other national representatives -- French, British, Turkish, Dutch, Spanish, Norwegian, Swiss, German -- all endorsing a practical, realistic methodology for dealing with today’s crises, the “Comprehensive Approach.” Perhaps that is the way it felt back in the spring of 1648…

Mike Anderson
Deputy Director
J9 Interagency Partnering Directorate

I'm flying over the Caspian Sea, returning from three days in Afghanistan.  It was an eventful visit, my tenth over the past twenty months or so.

I'm with AFG CHoD General Karimi at an honour guard ceremony in Kabul, Afghanistan

The key impression I take back to NATO is one of progress, especially in the security sector.  I am heartened especially by the addition of over 70,000 Afghan National Security Forces since the beginning of 2010.  Their quality is improving as well as their numbers, with both the Army and the Police scoring over 80% in approval polls among Afghans nation-wide.  Their marksmanship scores have almost tripled and their literacy rate is climbing rapidly, as over 90,000 of the 270,000 total have completed some level of literacy training.

An ANA recruit at Kabul Military Training Center said, “The Taliban wanted to keep me in the dark. The Army is teaching me to read and write so I can come into the light and make my own decisions.”   This is a very inexpensive and positive part of training the Afghan Security Forces receive and will reap long term dividends for stability in Afghanistan.  It was an idea Ambassador Richard Holbrooke helped me to understand a couple of years ago and it shows real promise.

While corruption and a stubborn insurgency continue to hamper progress, my sense is that three transitions are in progress in Afghanistan.

Meeting with Gen. Petraeus before he finishes his time in Afghanistan.

The first is a leadership transition among the NATO military forces.  General Petraeus is departing, and is being relieved by the highly qualified and gifted Marine General John Allen.  The three-star operational commander is also changing out, as is the three-star training commander.  In both cases, the officers selected have extensive combat experience and impeccable records.  We are carefully managing this important leadership transition within the NATO command structure to ensure it is smooth.

A second transition is the most obvious one: from coalition-led security operations to Afghan-led security operations in seven key provinces and districts, representing over 25% of the total population.  This includes Kabul, where the Afghan security forces have had the lead in repelling several recent insurgent attacks.  Even the attack on the Intercontinental Hotel was largely defeated by Afghan Forces, and was contained within hours, causing only a handful of casualties.  As a point of comparison, the Mumbai attacks in 2008, where a similar number of terrorists struck, killed or wounded nearly 500 and paralyzed the vastly larger city for two days.

This key security force transition will be the crucial leading edge of our effort to give full, across-the-nation Afghan leadership in all security operations by the end of 2014.  General Petraeus and I are both confident this transition is on track and it begins in earnest next month.

The third transition is really just beginning, and I would call this the "deep transition."  This is preparing both the 48-nation coalition and the Afghan government for the post-2014 period.  There will clearly be a large reduction in coalition forces from our current level of over 140,000.  This will cause not only military changes, but also important economic changes.  We need to think now about the bridging strategy for the Afghan economy to ensure the bottom doesn't fall out suddenly post-2014.

This leads to the need for work to define what the post-2014 period should look like in terms of partnership between Afghanistan and the coalition.  With an important meeting in Bonn in December and the NATO summit next spring in Chicago, there are good opportunities to establish the plan.  Certainly long term sustainability of the rapidly developing Afghan Security Forces should be part of that.

I'm watching great NCO training at Camp Ghazi, Afghanistan.

We've invested a great deal in Afghanistan, and I believe our efforts have a reasonable chance at succeeding over the next several years.  There will certainly be setbacks like the current Kabul Bank crisis, terrorist attacks, and ongoing governance issues, as well as a complex situation with Pakistan to manage; but in the end, the effort will be worth it.

We must ensure that Afghanistan does not fall back into Taliban hands and again become a base for terror, and our commitments -- those of 48 troop contributing nations and more than 70 financially contributing nations -- should be honored.

It won't always be smooth sailing, but I think we're on the right course.

Adm. James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe

Since NATO took over the Libyan mission at the end of March (see my earlier blog for a description of the mission), we have launched almost 6,000 total aircraft sorties.  Over 2,500 of them have been strike and suppression of air defenses.  While the US provides about 25 percent of the support sorties (intelligence, refueling, surveillance, reconnaissance, suppression of enemy air defense), the rest of the coalition provides the remaining 75 percent.

We are using the robust NATO command structure, with bases all around the southern Mediterranean.  The operation is commanded out of the Joint Force Command in Naples, where the Joint Task Force is established.

Last testing before Danish F-16 take off from Sigonella military airbase, Italy.

This effort is internationally led by Lt.Gen. Charles Brouchard of the Canadian Air Force, with Italian Vice Adm. Rinaldo Veri in charge of the maritime effort.  Only five US senior officers are in the nearly 35 admirals and generals directing the operation, which is employing over 9,000 military personnel on any given day.

We are routinely striking targets all around the enormous land mass of Libya to protect the people from Qadhafi's military.

Our tempo of strikes and operations is the same as that of the two-week effort by the coalition loosely headed up by the US.  What has changed is the location of these targets, as Qadhafi has routinely and purposely placed military equipment and hardware in close proximity to civilian institutions, schools and houses.  As a result, there is an increased difficulty in ensuring the absolute minimal collateral damage to infrastructure when damaging and destroying these targets.

NATO has established essentially a 100 percent effective arms embargo, and have hailed / boarded / inspected hundreds of ships.  Over 18 ships are on station at any given time (of which only a couple are from the US).

We have also established essentially a 100% effective no fly zone which stretches over the entire country.  This includes the efforts of five NATO AWACS, as well as 40 other coalition aircraft.

Libya's second largest city of Benghazi has held, preventing the loss of tens of thousands of civilians after Qadhafi's threats to make the "streets run with blood."  Misrata has held as well, also preventing the loss of tens of thousands.  Qadhafi continues to illegally and indiscriminately shell the city, including relief ships and convoys.

We are coordinating with humanitarian convoys and working to ensure their safe arrival -- dozens have come in and out so far, from Misrata to Bengazi. Thousands have been evacuated safely.

We have seen a number of reports in recent days of migrants from Libya dying at sea. These are tragic stories, and they show the desperation to which people in Libya have been reduced by the Qadhafi regime. The humanitarian crisis is the direct result of the regime's violence. It is still more proof that Qadhafi and his followers have lost all claim to legitimacy.  While
NATO's mission is to prevent attacks on civilians and civilian populated areas in Libya, ships under NATO command will always respond to calls from ships in distress.

The entire 28-nation NATO alliance, plus six additional nations (Sweden, Ukraine, and four Arab countries) are supporting the NATO effort in Libya in some capacity, albeit doing different tasks as per national views.  Despite some divergence of views among the various alliance and coalition members, overall the effort is holding together well, putting real pressure on
Qadhafi, fulfilling the UNSCR 1970 / 1973, and -- coupled with economic and political pressure -- enacting a reasonable response to the violence of Qadhafi against his people.

NATO today has 150,000 soldiers, sailors, and airmen on three continents in active operations -- engaged in Afghanistan, Libya, Iraq, the Balkans, piracy, cyber, missile defense -- and is still conducting military exercises and training to maintain collective defense.

The 28 nations of NATO represent over half of the world's GDP, and can field collectively millions of military personnel and thousands of ships and aircraft.  It is an alliance that is active in the real world doing real operations -- not perfectly, to be sure, but effective.

Adm. James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe

Last night I was honored to receive the Distinguished Military Leadership Award from the Atlantic Council. Here are the remarks I made (or at least what I spoke from) during the dinner. ~ADM Stavridis

Thank you very much, Jim [Jones], for that extremely generous introduction. You could say between SACEUR 14 and SACEUR 16, you have the “long and the short” of it. Indeed, some would say the procession from Jim Jones, a towering figure, to my -- shall we say more compact -- frame, might indicate a diminishing of the Alliance, but I will try my best to look taller tonight.

Mr. Vice President, fellow honorees, distinguished guests, friends and colleagues, members and supporters of the Atlantic Council, all of you—good evening!

Let me particularly thank Fred Kempe, Senator Chuck Hagel, and the entire team at the Atlantic Council. So many close friends are here tonight, and I thank you all for coming.

By the looks of the agenda, I also think the Atlantic Council has a wonderful program in store for everyone tonight. You know, living in Europe affords the chance to see and learn about new and different cultures—which by the way is one of the most important things we can do to help create security in this turbulent 21st century.

As one example, I was recently fortunate enough to attend the opera Don Carlo, and I was really moved by the experience. So moved in fact, that I began secretly taking operatic singing lessons. I mentioned this new-found hobby to Plácido Domingo during the reception (he received the Distinguished Artistic Leadership Award last night), and boy are you all in for a real treat -- because he has asked me to accompany him on stage and sing an aria … “La Donna et Mobile” …I know it will be a performance you will remember for years … (I was planning to get a few laughs here.)

Seriously, I’m proud to accept this award on behalf of the seven million active and reserve Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines who make up the military arm of this grand alliance. Today more than 150,000 of them are engaged in what the British would call “active service” on three continents – in Afghanistan, Libya, Iraq, the Balkans, and off the coast of Africa on piracy patrol, in Iraq.

They are also deeply engaged in the collective defense of the alliance, training and exercising together throughout Europe and North America. Their efforts create partnerships with nations all around the Mediterranean and in the Arabian Gulf, as well as with more than twenty Asian nations as part of the Partnership for Peace program, begun under the visionary leadership of General Jones.

Looking to the future, the men and women of the alliance are today exploring our role in cyber and missile defense. We are engaged in bringing on line new technologies ranging from unmanned aircraft to advanced command and control networks. And we are seeking to build a true strategic partnership with Russia, as called for in the strategic concept accepted last fall for the 28 nations of the alliance.

NATO is a vibrant alliance, with nearly half of the world’s gross domestic product to draw upon and more importantly a deep dedication to democracy, liberty, freedom of expression, and all the values that make life worth living. It remains part of the core strategic architecture of the United States, and I would argue is among the most successful alliances in world history.

I recently visited Trapani Air Base in western Sicily where a large contingent of multi-national air forces are operating in support of Libyan operations. As always, the closer to the fight, the better things tend to look. And they looked good in Trapani. Side-by-side, Italians, Canadians, Brits, Americans, and indeed representatives from each nation in the alliance proudly lead the air effort which is enforcing UN security council resolutions.

They reflect a major air-sea campaign in progress. Since NATO took over the Libyan mission, just over a month ago, we have launched well over 5,000 total aircraft sorties. More than 2,000 of them have been strike and suppression of air defenses. While the US provides about 25% of the support sorties (intelligence, refueling, surveillance, reconnaissance, suppression of enemy air defense), the rest of the coalition provides the remaining 75%.

We have hailed and boarded hundreds of ships at sea as well. Of the 15 ships enforcing the embargo, only 1 or 2 are from the US. The entire 28-nation NATO alliance, plus so far 6 additional nations (Sweden, Ukraine, and four Arab countries) are supporting the effort in some capacity.

Our work, I believe, has saved the lives of tens of thousands of innocent citizens terrorized and threatened by the authoritarian regime condemned by the international community. We continue to enforce an arms embargo, conduct a no-fly zone, and attack the forces of the regime that threaten the civilian population. This will give the international community the time to bring economic, political, and diplomatic tools to bear and resolve the ongoing crisis.

In this very real sense, NATO and its coalition partners are showing once how adaptive and enduring its fundamental principles and capabilities are important to the future of our collective security. And Libya is only the latest mission, adding to the work done in the Balkans, Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere. I also point with pride to the humanitarian work the Alliance has done in Pakistan in response to both floods and earthquakes over the past few years.

I believe this all reflects a NATO alliance that is a force for good in the world. We are far from perfect, but our collective efforts help create security and bring some measure of stability in a dangerous world. In the sixty years since NATO was formed, I think we have contributed and will continue to do so in important ways.

You know, I have a very exalted title … “Supreme Allied Command.” What I REALLY am is the Operations Officer for the Alliance. So let me close with a final operational thought.

I accept this award with great thanks not for myself, but on behalf of the operators … the men and women who sail at sea … fly long missions in the air … and patrol dusty streets and over high mountains ashore ... all on dangerous operational service. They stand the watch tonight so that we may be safe and secure in our homes, and this is THEIR award, not mine.

Think of them as you celebrate this night, and continue to support them in their important work.

It's been a long decade, but a key step in the global effort to end violent extremism has been achieved, executed by incredibly dedicated professionals.

There are countless ways to react to the killing of Osama bin Laden.  Many will celebrate.  Others will reflect on the sacrifices and losses associated with bin Laden and the violence he promoted.  Some will make jokes, and some will choose not to acknowledge his death at all.

As for me?  I choose to focus on the sacrifices of the countless men and women who helped to achieve this milestone and to remain focused on the work that lies ahead.  The death of Osama bin Laden, while significant, does not end our involvement in Afghanistan.  We will need to remain vigilant.

If you haven't done so already, you may wish to revisit the President's speech, and if you're willing to share your reaction to the news, I'd welcome it.

Adm. James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe

There has been tremendous speculation over the past year about the future of U.S. Force Posture in Europe. On Friday, the Department of Defense announced that the Army will retain three Brigade Combat Teams in Europe.

In an email to U.S. Army Europe (USAREUR) staff, LTG Mark Hertling, USAREUR commander, noted,

The mix of Heavy, Stryker and Airborne BCTs, combined with our other key theater enablers, will ensure U.S. Army Europe is capable, effective, and best able to address current and future security challenges and Combatant Commander missions. Having watched the ‘stance’ of USAREUR change over the last few years, it is my belief that this formation set positions us to be extremely effective. This posture positions the Army to better conduct overseas contingency operations, ease the burden of a high operational tempo on you and your Families, and it improves the ability of the United States Army to conduct security cooperation and exercise events, meet its NATO Article 5 and other commitments, while accounting for readiness, cost efficiencies and sustainability.

I agree 100 percent.

It is undecided which brigade will inactivate and when, so we’ve got plenty of time to ensure we prepare for and execute the change in force posture responsibly.

We remain committed to working closely with our European partners to execute our security cooperation mission. I do not foresee any significant reduction in our capability with this change; merely an increase in our efficiency – clearly something we must strive for in today’s fiscal climate.

Adm. James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe

We held a good event at my HQ late last week – a birthday party. We celebrated the first sixty years of this NATO strategic operational command.

Along with two of the youngest members of the command, I cut a birthday cake to celebrate the moment sixty years ago, on 2 April 1951, when SACEUR Dwight D. Eisenhower activated Allied Command Europe – the predecessor to today’s Allied Command Operations – and its headquarters, the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe.

North Atlantic Council Meeting Dec. 1957

The history is pretty striking, I think. Since the signing of the Washington Treaty, we’ve seen the Alliance grow from the original 12 member countries to the 28 current ones, plus a large number of other nations linked to NATO, such as the 22 member Nations of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, the 7 member Nations of the Mediterranean Dialogue, 4 members of the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, and 4 contact countries. Nearly a billion people fall into either membership or partnership status. The 28 members control nearly 50% of the world’s Gross Domestic Product, totally some $28 trillion dollars.

The bottom line is pretty simple: NATO has been a true success. Today we are operating on three continents with 140,000 soldiers, sailors, and airmen conducting important operations from Afghanistan to Libya to the Balkans.

Opening of the Meeting by NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Jan. 26, 2011

Central to the success of NATO has been our ability to adapt to evolving geopolitical realities. At NATO's inception, we were challenged by the evolving tactics and strategies of the Soviet Union; at the close of the 20th Century, we saw the demands of a multi-polar world start to emerge; and today, we are adjusting to new challenges from an increasingly interdependent, connected and fast paced world.

Nearly four generations of Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and civilians have served the Alliance. From the most junior Private to senior Generals and Ambassadors, their work has defined this Alliance. It is strong and has endured because of their efforts. Truly, all of us serving the Alliance today “stand on the shoulders of giants.”

Naturally, there is a great deal we can do better. We’re working hard on the comprehensive approach – trying to integrate our security efforts with diplomacy and development. Missile Defense and Cyber are areas where we have much work to do. Our crisis management systems can improve. And finally, I think we can stretch our arms wider in the world of partnerships – for example, in finding more zones of cooperation with Russia.

As we look to the future, we dedicate ourselves to continuing to serve the causes of maintaining peace, co-operating with other nations and organisations, and preserving security and stability wherever we can be helpful.

Here's to the next 60 years!

Adm. James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe

Not surprisingly, I’ve received a lot of questions about what is happening in Libya in both my capacity as Commander of the US European Command (USEUCOM) and as the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe (SACEUR).

Given the amount of interest, let me address the role of both USEUCOM and Allied Command Operations (ACO) in Libya – the former in a supporting role, the latter acting upon direction from the North Atlantic Council (NAC). Forgive me if this blog runs a little longer than most – we’ve got a lot to cover!

Allow me to underscore that in both cases – as a US Combatant Commander and as SACEUR – our purpose with respect to Libya is to support the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR). The Resolution calls for humanitarian assistance; enforcement of the arms embargo; support of a no fly zone; and the protection of civilians. If you haven’t already, I encourage you to read the actual UNSCRs 1970 and 1973.

Now, let’s start with USEUCOM. As most of you know, the United States military is organized into geographic and functional Combatant Commands. The Combatant Command with the lead role in ongoing US military operations in Libya – titled Operation ODYSSEY DAWN – is the United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM), under the very able leadership of GEN Carter Ham. USEUCOM is involved in support of USAFRICOM.

“Alright, Admiral,” you might think to yourself. “What exactly does that mean?” To be more precise, some of the ways USEUCOM is providing support include manpower augmentation (e.g., intelligence, operations, public affairs, etc.), contingency planning, communications connectivity and infrastructure, logistical support at bases within the European theater, and basing/overflight rights. Overall, USEUCOM has helped to enable the effective execution of the operation in a complex and dynamic environment; however, USAFRICOM is the lead combatant command capably directing forces in support of Operation ODYSSEY DAWN.

Let’s turn next to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Of course, all NATO decisions are based on the consensus of the 28 member nations. Any decision is, therefore, the expression of the nations’ collective will. While numerous committees and groups exist to explore issues and guide discussion, the primary decision making body is the NAC, chaired by the NATO Secretary General and formed of Ambassadors, Defense Ministers, Foreign Ministers, or Heads of State and Government. In permanent session, NATO nations have Ambassadors in the NAC, also known as Permanent Representatives or PERMREPS.

As you’d expect, gaining consensus amongst 28 sovereign nations is not always a simple matter, but when it does occur, it is a very powerful expression of the collective will that I mentioned earlier. NATO has reacted to the crises in Libya with unprecedented speed. If you’re interested in learning more about how NATO works, there’s a good interactive introduction to the organization here.

On March 22, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen announced the NAC’s agreement to enforce the UN-mandated arms embargo on Libya within the context of UNSCRs 1970 and 1973. NATO operations for Libya have been named Operation UNIFIED PROTECTOR. Under the scope of UNIFIED PROTECTOR, NATO is authorized to enforce the arms embargo and the no-fly-zone (NFZ). This was just five days after the UNSCR passed.

The arms embargo mission is focused on assisting the international community to reduce the flow of arms and material into and from Libya in order to reduce acts of aggression against the Libyan civilian population. Operation UNIFIED PROTECTOR will assist in reducing the flow of arms, related material and mercenaries to and from the coastal waters off Libya only. NATO nation ships and aircraft will conduct operations to monitor, report and, if needed, interdict vessels and intercept aircraft where there are reasonable grounds to suspect that they are carrying cargo in violation of the arms embargo or suspected of carrying illegal arms or mercenaries. This is being conducted in close coordination with international maritime authorities, commercial shipping, and regional organizations to ensure the free flow of legitimate shipping to and from Libya.

As for the NFZ, it was originally initiated by a coalition of primarily NATO countries coordinating under Operation ODYSSEY DAWN. It quickly became apparent that NATO is uniquely qualified to assume leadership of the NFZ, bringing both capabilities through its members' military commitments and coherence through NATO’s well established command and control structure. As we have seen in Kosovo, Afghanistan, operations supporting counter-piracy and other missions, NATO has the experience and expertise to lead this effort. On March 24, the NAC took the next step to approve enforcement of the NFZ, which puts NATO in that leadership role, just seven days after the UNSCR.

And finally, just last night, NATO Allies decided to take on the whole military operation in Libya, ten days after the UNSCR. As defined by the United Nations Security Council Resolution, our goal is to protect civilians and civilian-populated areas under threat of attack. NATO will implement all aspects of the UN Resolution.

The bottom line is that in both cases – on the US side and within NATO – we are seeking to protect innocent lives and allow Libyans the freedom to decide the future of their country. Important work, indeed.

Adm. James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe

Amidst all the attention, appropriately, to Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, Japan, Yemen and other ongoing events around the world, there was an important and noteworthy development in Afghanistan yesterday.

President Hamid Karzai announced on the 22nd of March that the Afghan National Security Forces (army and police) would take the lead and responsibility for security in seven crucial locations around the country -- covering 20-25% of the population of that nation.

Secretary General Rasmussen remarked that, “This represents the next stage of Afghanistan’s journey, not the destination. And every step of the way will be determined by conditions on the ground."

There are more stages and hard work ahead of us, yet. President Karzai said in his speech, “This is our responsibility to raise our flag with honor and pride," NATO fully concurs and supports this Afghan decision; we are proud to see our Afghan partners start to take ownership of security responsibilities.

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Darin Pugh shows two Afghan National Police members some of the operations of a 30-ton wrecker during a formal training. (Photo courtesy ISAF)

The locations chosen for the transition this year include Kabul Province, including Kabul; the provinces of Bamyan and Panjshir; the medium-sized cities of Herat (a vibrant commercial center in the west), Mazar-e-Sharif (the largest city in the north), and Lashgar Gah (an important agricultural city in the south); and the city of Mehtar Lam (capital of Laghman Province). These spots are spread around key regions and will serve as anchors as the transition expands in the months and years ahead.

This transition is the first step in a process that has as its goal full Afghan security leadership throughout the country by the end of 2014. I believe this is realistic and achievable, and the continuing improvement in quality and quantity of the Afghan Security Forces is testament to that.

Here I'm talking to Afghan National Army trainees at the Kabul Military Training Center (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Sarah Brown/RELEASED)

Today there are more than 270,000 Afghan National Security Forces, with a goal to produce a total of 305,000 by October of this year. That effort is on track. The NATO Training Mission Afghanistan, ably led by Lieutenant General Bill Caldwell has produced a "silent surge" of Afghan National Security Forces -- 70,000 in 2010 -- that is making this transition possible. Naturally, there are challenges in attrition and retention, but the steady flow of recruits and the gradually improving training is helping.

Their training covers everything from literacy (more than 100,000 are learning to read) to marksmanship, tactics, counter-IED, first aid, and all the skills of counter-insurgency and combat. There are 12 Afghan speciality training schools teaching everything from logistics to artillery. And the National Military Academy, modeled on West Point, has 600 students per class for a four-year curriculum and more than 5,000 applicants for the 600 spots.

Whenever I visit Afghanistan I meet with Afghan troops. Their courage and commitment is evident, and I blogged a few weeks ago about meeting a platoon of female officers who really impressed me. This is real progress, with Afghan leadership and effort, and I'm cautiously optimistic as we proceed forward.


Adm. James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe

We just finished an excellent two-day meeting in Brussels with the 28 NATO Defense Ministers -- including, of course, my bosses Secretary of Defense Bob Gates and Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen. The meeting focused on one expected challenge -- Afghanistan -- and one new issue, Libya.

North Atlantic Council (NAC) in Defence Ministers Session. Photo by SGC Edouard Bocquet, French Air Force

On Afghanistan, the meeting was attended by not only the 28 NATO Defense Ministers, but also their counterparts from around the world. There are 48 troop contributing nations in the coalition in Afghanistan today and all were represented at a very senior level. As an example of the "larger than NATO" group, I had a good meeting with the Honorable Stephen Smith, the Defense Minister of Australia -- they contribute more than 1,500 troops in Uruzgan Province and are doing superb work.

I briefed the Ministers as did General Dave Petraeus, who flew into Brussels en route to the US, where he will testify in front of the US Congress about our progress and challenges in Afghanistan.

Both our briefs highlighted the progress to date and the challenges ahead. In the progress category, we addressed the "silent surge" of nearly 70,000 Afghan Security Forces; there are now 270,000 Afghan police and army across the country. Operations in southern Afghanistan are conducted in a ratio of 1:1 coalition and Afghan forces. The Afghans absorb 75% of the casualties. They are showing their readiness to begin the transition process this summer.

The challenges include corruption, difficulties across regional borders (we just discovered a significant cache of Iranian projectiles in western Afghanistan), and implementing governance evenly across the country. Yet even there we see progress: Marjah, in southern Afghanistan, which just over a year ago was run by the Taliban, recently had a 75% turnout for their local elections. Schools are literally packed to capacity. And the numbers of weapons caches revealed to coalition troops by local Afghans has increased fivefold in a year -- a key counter-insurgency metric.

So both Dave and I spoke of "cautious optimism" and "progress that is fragile," but compared to where we were a year ago, I'm heartened.

NATO Secretary General, H.E. Mr. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, during his welcome remarks at the meeting of Defence Ministers, NAC, NATO HQ, Brussels, Belgium. Photo by SGC Edouard Bocquet, French Air Force

Libya was a complicated discussion, as all the nations realize the challenges of the situation there. NATO is conducting 24/7 surveillance with AWACS -- NATO’s eyes in the sky -- and ships under my command from the central Mediterranean, and we are preparing detailed plans for a range of options, as Secretary-General Rasmussen said after the conclusion of the conference. A United Nations Security Council mandate will be key, and whatever the Alliance does must meet the tests of need, legality, and regional support. Much will change over the next few days, as the situation is very fluid.

The Ministers also touched on everything else we are doing operationally, from piracy to air policing to plans for missile defense and new technology to relations with Russia and the situation in the Balkans.

For an Alliance passing 60 years, we sure are busy!

Adm. James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe

A few weeks ago, I referred to myself as a “strategist” during a speech. This prompted someone to ask me what “strategy” means to me. What a superb question! So often the word is overused…it seems almost everything is “strategic” these days. And yet, in our business and in my current job, strategy is at the heart of what we do.

Here I'm giving a speech at the ''NATO after Lisbon'' conference conducted by the National Defense Commission of the Portuguese Parliament Feb. 2. ©Sgt Sebastian Kelm (DEU-A) SHAPE PAO

As a matter of fact, I had two conferences over the past two days focusing on "strategy." One was in Stuttgart, Germany for the U.S. European Command hat, and the other here in Mons, Belgium, addressing the future of Allied Command Operations. In both cases, we looked forward and thought about how these two enterprises -- European Command, with 100,000 personnel; and NATO Operations, with 140,000 alliance troops -- can best serve as a force for good in this turbulent world.

The future looks complicated, as always. If we thought of the immediate post- Cold War period as the "New World," I would say we are today in a kind of "New, New World." It includes the discontinuities of the post-9/11 period, the focus on transnational threats to our societies, aging demographics in many European societies, the current "Arab awakening”, piracy, campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, emerging biological imperatives, and many other disparate challenges.

What a strategist needs to do is essentially five-fold:

Select a timeframe over which the strategy should apply. Open-ended strategies make no sense.

Develop a clear-eyed view of the future. This must be done with eyes wide open, receiving input from every imaginable source, and competed against the views and knowledge of as many other individuals and organizations as possible.

Know your goals. What do you want to be at what future point in time? Ascertain where a given organization desires to end up, and craft precise mission and vision statements that will guide you there. Use these as your touchstones, and keep looping back to these aspirations for the organization as you craft more precise goals towards fulfilling the mission and vision.

Formulate a plan. What are the ‘muscle movements’ needed to achieve the goals and ultimately secure the vision? Find the levers that move the system in order to position the organization to accomplish its mission and vision. This will invariably involve getting the right people on the team, intensive analysis of the environment and competitors, and identifying policies and activities that will move you forward.

Calculate the resources needed to execute the plan. Where strategy meets money is the most important place in any organization. It is crucial to know where that nexus occurs, how it is staffed, and what methodology is used in the calculation.

The next step, not part of strategizing, per se, but very important: Go out and sell your strategy. The best strategy in the world won't matter unless there is institutional belief in it and a persuasive narrative that convinces stakeholders to support it. This means, finally, that you need good strategic communicators to help with that fundamental step.

Books are written about strategy, and this is of course a cursory look at the topic. I’d love to hear from you -– what did I miss? How does your organization’s strategy impact your daily work? How can leaders do better in articulating and executing strategy?

(I've written more -- a whole chapter, if you think you can stand it! -- on the topic of strategy as it applied to my previous command, US Southern Command in my book Partnership for the Americas. It can be accessed through the publisher, NDU Press, here.)

We spent the better part of three full days working on these issues for my two organizations here in Europe, and the results will flow smoothly into our long range plans, which I'll talk about in subsequent blogs. It was time well spent!

Adm. James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe

General Greg Brundidge kicks off the conference with his keynote discussion. (U.S. Army photo by Martin Greeson/Released)

Last week I attended the U.S. European Command’s Cyber Defense/Information Assurance Conference at the General Rogers Conference Center on Patch Barracks. Although no one showed up with a cheesy hat or a black and white jersey, I definitely felt Cyber Defender’s team spirit as information was presented on securing theater networks and information.

The theme of this conference was “Empowering a Cyber Defense Workforce" and included over one hundred participants with 40 partner cyber defenders from 18 countries, NATO, and other international organizations. The cheer squad came from USEUCOM's components, DoD agencies and industry.

Mr. Tony Sager, from the National Security Agency, gives the presentation entitled “Equipping the Cyber Defender: The Information Advantage.”

Brig. Gen. Greg Brundidge, the director of EUCOM’s J6 Command, Control and Communications directorate, kicked off the conference with his keynote discussion and emphasized the need to facilitate collaboration and improve empowerment of cyber defense personnel, technology and processes through education, policy and guidance, and secure and defensible networks.

The second quarter’s key play was a presentation by Mr. Tony Sager, from the National Security Agency, entitled “Equipping the Cyber Defender: The Information Advantage” that discussed the future in Cyber Defense as Information Management. General Ed Daniel, Deputy J3 and Joint Forces Cyber Component Commander, coached on US European Command’s vision for cyber operations.

Halftime’s presentations from industry partners on cloud computing and associated security challenges provided insights into future technologies and threat vectors. The second half of this conference consisted seminars on Cyber Defense/Information Assurance, Forensics and NATO Cyber Defense activities. The game ended following informational presentations on Command Cyber Readiness Inspections and the EUCOM theater sensor strategy by Mr. Bill Keeley from the Defense Information Systems Agency Field Security Operations. At the end of the game, everyone went home a winner!

Col. Patricia Rinaldi, EUCOM Cyber Integrator, briefs cyber missions during the conference.

This conference, along with other Command, Control, and Communications international partnering initiatives like Combined Endeavor, Cyber Endeavor and Phoenix Endeavor are a part of the EUCOM Cyber Team's efforts to build better cyber defense capability across the theater. These events help build the essential bridges we need to facilitate collaboration and improve effectiveness of cyber ops personnel, technology, and processes.

Kay Myers
Chief, Cyber Defense Division
EUCOM C3 System and Warfighting Integration Directorate
Twitter: @Cyber_Patriot

Cyber Defenders attending this conference came from all over the U.S. European Command Theater and included Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Turkey. NATO organizations attending included the NATO Computer Incident Response Capability Technical Center and the Cooperative Cyber Defense Centre of Excellence.

The annual Munich Security Conference is a bit like the Oscars for national security professionals, except the clothing isn't as glamorous.

There is something of a red carpet, a press of media, crowds everywhere, the buzz of deal cutting and gossiping, all held in an elegant 18th century hotel in the heart of Bavaria.

German MoD Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg and NATO SEC GEN Anders Fogh Rasmussen. Image by Sebastian Kelm SGT German Army

Walking the halls of the conference and attending the meetings -- which are streamed live around the world -- is a startling experience. You walk around a corner and see Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, President Hamid Karzai, Chancellor Angela Merkel, Prime Minister David Cameron, Senator John McCain, Secretary Generals Ban Ki-Moon of the United Nations and Anders Fogh Rasmussen of NATO.

Always run on the first weekend in February, the conference seeks to bring international relations professionals, academics, journalists, humanitarian aid leaders, and security specialists together for an open, transparent, and public conversation on the hot topics of the year.

This year, I was invited to be part of a panel discussion on Afghanistan. It was kicked off by President Karzai, and the panel upon which I sat included Dr. Spanta, the National Security Advisor of Afghanistan, Michele Flournoy, the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, and Senator Joe Lieberman from the Senate Armed Services Committee. It was a lively two hour session.

The panel for "NATO and Afghanistan: A Regional Approach?" at the Munich Security Conference, Germany. Image by Sebastian Kelm SGT German Army

In addition to the pure security topics, there was an interesting exchange of views between the participants as to timing of transition in Afghanistan. Instead of the "normal" topic of transitioning military operations (which will begin this year and continue through 2014), this conversation was about transitioning other functions -- such as Provincial Reconstruction Teams and Private Security Firms.

This is an important issue. The Afghan government rightly wants to vest the leadership of these key functions (development and security) within the governance space of their administration. The international community wants to have a dialog about the best timing to accomplish this.

What's important is that the push to transition functions of governance besides security is underway. It is a clear sign that our Afghan partners are continuing to focus on how we can shift the key efforts in Afghanistan to their hands.

US Sen. Joe Lieberman, me, Gen. Stphane Abrial and Adm. Giampaolo Di Paola. Image by Sebastian Kelm SGT German Army

Munich is a superb venue for conversations like this. Other topics included of course events in Egypt; the future of missile defense in Europe; cyber security; and the need for European nations to spend sufficiently on defense (check out this superb speech by NATO Secretary General).

While there wasn't lots of free champagne flowing, it was a very exciting environment to move forward on the key international security issues of our complex times.

Adm. James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe

Last week, I had a good visit to Afghanistan -- three days, including a swing through Helmand in the south.

The security situation in Helmand Province was significantly different this month than it was when I last visited in January 2010. I was especially struck by the continued improvement in the performance and size of the Afghan security forces down south. In 2010, there were roughly 10,000 ISAF servicemen and 2,000 ANSF in Helmand Province, roughly a 5:1 ratio. Today, there are 30,000 ISAF and 30,000 ANSF – a 1:1 ratio with Afghan forces increasingly in the lead. Afghan flags fly across the province, schools are open, bazaars are thriving. There is a sense of progress.

This is especially significant because Helmand and Kandahar have historically been the heart of the insurgency and the Taliban's stronghold. They've been pushed out of some of the most important terrain to them. Of the 34 provinces in Afghanistan, Helmand accounts for 45% percent of the violence -- if we can succeed here, we're on track for overall success.

Here I am getting an operational update of the progress in Afghanistan by General David Petraeus. Photo by MSGT Edouard Bocquet, French Air Force

We are beginning transition in 2011 with a goal of full transition to Afghan-led security operations across the entire country by 2014. During my time with General Dave Petraeus and his team, I was briefed on their proposed transition plan. It looks good. We'll formally review it shortly and move up to NATO headquarters for final approval.

In the months ahead, we'll continue to see fighting and losses, especially in the south. There are big challenges ahead -- governance, corruption, and difficulties with cross-border operations from Pakistan -- but overall, I am cautiously optimistic.

I spent my third and final day with the NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan at the Kabul Military Training Facility (KMTC). As we drove from one side of KMTC to the other, I witnessed Afghans training on everything from simple battle drills like React to Contact, to complex Route Clearance Drills, drivers training, and marksmanship. Some of these training events were being run by ISAF forces; however, more and more, Afghans are taking over the training of their own security forces. This is a significant milestone toward a truly self-sustaining and self-generating Security Force.

I want to give you a sense of one event that said a great deal to me:

Before boarding our plane for the return trip to Belgium, I attended the Commissioning Ceremony and the swearing of the military oath by two dozen young women joining the Afghan National Army. It was an emotional moment.

I'm shaking hands with the newly graduated female officer candidates after attending their oath (commisionning) ceremony. Photo by MSGT Edouard Bocquet, French Air Force

They stood in a tight military formation under a picture of the Afghan heroine Malalai of Maiwand, famous for her role in defending her country in the 19th century. After marching, each of them swore, "I am a loyal daughter to the people of Afghanistan ... I will be a disciplined officer of this country ... I will be loyal and honest ... my priorities will be defending territorial integrity, national freedom ... I will even spill my blood in serving my country ... May God help us to succeed."

Think how that picture looks to the Taliban. It is part of a country where today 7 million children go to school, with 3 million of them young girls. Under the Taliban, no females were allowed to attend school. The young women officers are part of the new generation of women emerging in Afghanistan. I chatted with each of them, and all were articulate and impressive. They are the new face of Afghanistan, and I believe they will help lead their country to a brighter future.

Amidst all the challenges, there is reason for hope. These young women are part of that.

Adm. James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe

Last week, I had a good visit to Afghanistan -- three days, including a swing through Helmand in the south.

The security situation in Helmand Province was significantly different this month than it was when I last visited in January 2010. I was especially struck by the continued improvement in the performance and size of the Afghan security forces down south. In 2010, there were roughly 10,000 ISAF servicemen and 2,000 ANSF in Helmand Province, roughly a 5:1 ratio. Today, there are 30,000 ISAF and 30,000 ANSF – a 1:1 ratio with Afghan forces increasingly in the lead. Afghan flags fly across the province, schools are open, bazaars are thriving. There is a sense of progress.

This is especially significant because Helmand and Kandahar have historically been the heart of the insurgency and the Taliban's stronghold. They've been pushed out of some of the most important terrain to them. Of the 34 provinces in Afghanistan, Helmand accounts for 45% percent of the violence -- if we can succeed here, we're on track for overall success.

In the months ahead, we'll continue to see fighting and losses, especially in the south. There are big challenges ahead -- governance, corruption, and difficulties with cross-border operations from Pakistan -- but overall, I am cautiously optimistic.

I spent my third and final day with the NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan at the Kabul Military Training Facility (KMTC). As we drove from one side of KMTC to the other, I witnessed Afghans training on everything from simple battle drills like React to Contact, to complex Route Clearance Drills, drivers training, and marksmanship. Some of these training events were being run by ISAF forces; however, more and more, Afghans are taking over the training of their own security forces. This is a significant milestone toward a truly self-sustaining and self-generating Security Force.

I want to give you a sense of one event that said a great deal to me:

Before boarding our plane for the return trip to Belgium, I attended the Commissioning Ceremony and the swearing of the military oath by two dozen young women joining the Afghan National Army. It was an emotional moment.

Think how that picture looks to the Taliban. It is part of a country where today 7 million children go to school, with 3 million of them young girls. Under the Taliban, no females were allowed to attend school. The young women officers are part of the new generation of women emerging in Afghanistan. I chatted with each of them, and all were articulate and impressive. They are the new face of Afghanistan, and I believe they will help lead their country to a brighter future.

Amidst all the challenges, there is reason for hope. These young women are part of that.

Adm. James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe

Every year I look back through my reading journal and ask myself, “what were my top books of the year?” and why. Given my current job, some of them may seem obvious choices, but others may surprise. Here they are:

First, as we struggle with an increasingly unpopular war in a faraway place, it is worth reviewing the Vietnam experience. While I don’t think the parallels hold up very effectively in terms of policy prescription, there is something to be learned from revisiting the atmospherics of those days.

“Matterhorn” by Karl Marlantes. This brilliant account of a Marine Corps Second Lieutenant and platoon commander is set in Vietnam in 1968. It captures perfectly the feel of that long ago war, and was written over a three decade period by the author, a Rhodes Scholar who served in combat in Vietnam. It also showed me how far we’ve come in caring for our wounded, our command and control technology, and our racial integration in the armed forces – despite more to do in all those areas, to be sure. The best book on Vietnam since Jim Webb’s “Fields of Fire” and a must read for junior officers – full of leadership lessons both positive and negative.

“Let the Great World Spin” by Colum McCann. Another extraordinary novel with echoes of the Vietnam War -- but centered on the “home front” in Manhattan, as the war was winding down and Watergate ramping up. It is composed of the inter-locking narratives of ten central characters who come together as protagonists in the aftermath of a daredevil stunt: a Frenchman walking a steel tightrope stretched across 110th story of the World Trade Center towers in 1974. Beautifully written, poignant and yet hopeful, this is a superb book to understand America in the turbulent and dissatisfied 1970s.

For those of us who live in Europe as ex-pats, two novels that capture much of that experience:

“The Imperfectionists” by Tom Rachman. Set in the newsroom of a fictional English language newspaper published in Rome, this highly acclaimed first novel captures the linkages of human stories in a culture not quite their own. Subtly constructed, it connects events and people in vivid and real ways, while illuminating the challenges of print media in the internet age. A perfectly constructed novel.

“My Life in France” by Julia Child and Alex Prudhomme. The celebrated chef Julia Child spent much of her life living abroad, almost all of it in France. This collaboration between her and a younger relative capture the memories, the smells and tastes, and above all the culture of Europe, as it unfolded in the last half of the 20th century. A lovely memoir full of both great achievement and inevitable loss.

And lastly a good non-fiction read that connects to the present day:

“Colonel Roosevelt” by Edmund Morris. The third and concluding volume of the monumental biography of Theodore Roosevelt is built around three set pieces: an initial and successful safari in Africa followed by a triumphal tour of Europe, as Teddy (he hated that nickname) leaves the Presidency in the hands of his chosen successor, Taft; his desperate and near death experience exploring the River of Doubt in South America, a previously unmapped tributary of the Amazon; and his abortive run for the Presidency as a third party candidate in 1912, the most successful in American history, although ultimately coming up short. F. Scott Fitzgerald famously said there are no second acts in American lives; but here we see a pretty good third act from one of the true American originals. Much of this is set exactly a hundred years ago and the echoes are profound.

Adm. James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe

The Wall Street Journal article Dr. Cagaptay refers to in the video can be found here. He also wrote a piece for Foreign Affairs Online Snapshots titled "Sultan of the Muslim World: Why the AKP's Turkey Will Be the East's Next Leader".

Many of you know that we have a Notable Author and Film series at both my EUCOM and SHAPE headquarters, which allows us to routinely take a step back from our desk work and learn from some of the authors and artists who are observers, critics and practitioners of national security.

On Nov. 9 the Notable Author and Film Series for the SHAPE staff featured the classic black comedy “Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb,” made by the famous director Stanley Kubrick in 1964.

Most of the members of the international audience had never seen the film before, especially the younger ones, and they enjoyed the way the film makes you laugh but also think about the very serious issues surrounding the idea of nuclear deterrence. After the movie, the audience and a panel of staff experts discussed a wide range of related issues, beginning with how accurate the film was (a B-52 pilot shared some of his experiences with the aircraft) and what life was like during the worst moments of the Cold War.

President Obama, President Medvedev and President Klaus at Prague Castle (White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

The discussion soon evolved to address present-day questions: Why did NATO reaffirm the importance of nuclear deterrence in the new Strategic Concept? What potential threats exist today? Do the more extreme “rogue state” leaders have the same fundamentally rational mindset that prevailed in both sides during the Cold War? If so, can they be deterred by the existence of NATO’s nuclear weapons? If not, is Ballistic Missile Defence the answer? In that case, how can a missile defence system be implemented in the spirit of NATO’s aim of continuing to improve relations with Russia?

While opinions on the answers to the above questions may vary, it just goes to show how a good film – no matter how old – can always spark a good discussion. All in all, it was a very thought-provoking afternoon that was enjoyed by all the participants.

Adm. James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe

Let’s face it: in this complex world, we can’t always all “just get along.”

Often, friction is the result of cultural collisions – disagreements stemming from differences in fundamental belief systems, well established processes, and patterns of execution.

To take an example that often pops up in the United States, we sometimes encounter cultural differences between 3 key interagency actors: the Department of Defense, Department of State, and the U.S. Agency for International Development. But since success in the 21st century security environment is dependent on the “3D” approach (Diplomacy, Development, and Defense), it is imperative that we develop means to overcome any cultural divides that may arise from institutional paradigms and pre-existing “turf” boundaries – factors that can affect countries’ relationships just as much as agencies.

I began trying aggressively to bridge such cultural divides at my previous job as Commander of U.S. Southern Command in Miami, Florida. I’ve continued efforts to resolve cultural differences at U.S. European Command and as the Supreme Allied Commander at NATO.

Over time, I’ve identified a handful of techniques I think are helpful in resolving these kinds of differences. The following techniques apply not only in interagency divisions, but also more broadly in the international arena as we seek creative solutions to complex challenges to 21st century security.

1. Learn the Language. For relations between nations, this simply means we should all be studying each other’s languages.  To know another language is to understand another life.  Similarly, within the interagency, every organization has its own set of key words, phrases, and sayings.  Knowing what a partner means when they speak is invaluable.
2. Read the History. In both the international and the interagency realm, take the time to really develop a deep understanding of those across the historical divide. See my reading list here.
   

   SACEUR, Admiral James Stavridis talks to French troops during a visit to FOB Morales-Frazier, ISAF, Afghanistan. Image by SGT Sebastian Kelm (DEU Army)

3. Know the Heroes. Nations and organizations have heroes.  Who are they?  Know theirstories and you’ll know another nation or organization well.
4. Meet the People. Personal contact trumps everything.  Sending all the well meaning emails and posting messages can be helpful, but knowing your partners’ key players as people is essential.
5. Communicate Constantly. Use every vehicle imaginable – from letters of congratulations to postings on web-sites, to weekly updates, to targeted communication – to let your partners know clearly and transparently what you are thinking.  And above all, be sure to demonstrate that you are listening.
6. Expand the Problem. Letting other actors into the mix in contentious situations, while undeniably complicating the situation, can often shake the system and unlock disagreements.
7. Share Credit Lavishly. Everyone likes to get credit.  Colin Powell said once, “You can get anything done in Washington if you’re willing to not get credit.”  This is a good philosophy within the interagency and in the international arena.
8. Disagree without being Disagreeable. People tend to take things personally when culture is involved.  Keep your differences at the academic and professional level and check your ego at the door.  Never make a disagreement personal.
9. No Drama. When working across cultures, turn down both the highs and lows, and keep it cool.  What motivates in one culture can be a “turn off” in another.
   

   U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Ray Hensley, a loadmaster with the 86th Operations Group, speaks with an Israeli after helping to deliver fire retardant to Tel Aviv, Israel, Dec. 4, in response to wildfires near Haifa, Israel.  EUCOM routinely provides foreign humanitarian assistance in response to crises in the region in the same manner as other regional partners. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Benjamin Wilson)

10. Find a Common Problem to Solve. When two or three potential partners –  interagency or international – can agree on something that is not working, this can often be a bridge.
11. When on Death Ground, Fight. It is important to get along and connect, but in the course of doing so, protecting what is essential in your culture is important.  There should be few redlines, but those that exist must be vigorously defended.
12. Build the Right Organization. There is more than one way to organize, and if the goal is good intercultural partnership, creating special nodes on a staff (for example, a J-9 for interagency or a J-10 for private-public partnering on a military staff) can help.  Having liaisons from partners at a high level with real authority (not just parked in a meaningless staff element way down the food chain) can likewise help.

If you have other ideas on how to bridge cultural divides, I’d love to hear them! We’re working hard at U.S. European Command to reach across the cultural divide to State, USAID, and other interagency partners at our level. We’ll continue to work on this internationally, as well. And of course our work at SHAPE is grounded in building common frameworks within the Alliance. The challenges of this turbulent and dynamic 21st century demand it.

Adm. James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe

We finished the Lisbon summit last week – really a high point thus far in the nearly 18 months I’ve been the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR). While not without some challenges, overall the summit must be judged a real success.

Most importantly, we were able to deliver the three key initiatives we have been seeking for several years:

• NATO-Russia in a “true strategic partnership.” This means working with the Russians in a wide variety of venues. I’d put Afghanistan, missile defense, counter-narcotics, counter-piracy, and counter-terrorism at the top of the list. In particular, we have worked out a good set of concrete proposals for Afghanistan: logistics help to our coalition, sales of the very capable MI-17 helicopter, and possibly training of Afghan security forces in Russia. This is real progress. We’ll be working hard over the next few months to turn these potential areas of cooperation into real work together.

• Afghanistan transition plan. After briefings by both General Dave Petraeus and me, the 48 nations of the ISAF coalition agreed to a transition plan that will begin in 2011 and conclude with Afghan leadership by 2014. Coupled with the counter-insurgency strategy we have been pursuing, this sets out a very reasonable timeline for success. While the challenges remain daunting in Afghanistan, I remain cautiously optimistic that we will succeed. The key will be training the Afghan security forces to a level that permits them to take on these key responsibilities, and our NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan is doing exactly that.

• The new Strategic Concept for NATO. With the adoption of the first new Strategic Concept since 1999, the Alliance has a well defined path forward into this turbulent 21st century. The key elements of the new Strategic Concept, agreed to by all 28 NATO nations, include: Crisis Management; the Comprehensive Approach; Missile Defense; partnerships, especially with Russia; NATO Reform and Efficiencies; and cyber defense. The concept also emphasizes the traditional role of NATO as an Article V defensive Alliance, e.g. “an attack on one nation shall be viewed as an attack on all.”

Secretary General Rasmussen was superb in guiding the Alliance and the ISAF coalition members through the complex two days of dialogue and, ultimately, agreement on these three key elements.

Leaders from the Lisbon Summit

This week, the hard work begins at my headquarters in Mons, as we get to work on how to “operationalize” all of these good ideas. We have working groups tackling each of these key action items, and will be presenting our thoughts for political guidance and ultimately for implementation over the next six months.

The Summit was a good example of NATO moving out and responding to a changing world. We have lots of work ahead, but I came away with a real sense of confidence in the direction we are sailing.

Adm. James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe

The historic Silk Road traversed 3 present-day US geographic commands; European Command (EUCOM), Central Command (CENTCOM) and Pacific Command (PACOM), as it wound its way from Italy in the west to China in the east by way of Afghanistan pretty much right in the middle.

Today, a “Modern Silk Road” serves as a supply link between Europe, NATO forces, and Afghanistan. Genghis Khan, Tamerlane and Alexander the Great all marched their armies along this route, into and out of Afghanistan.

As we just heard on Friday at the NATO Summit in Lisbon, as the Afghans stand up, today’s NATO “armies” will ensure that they will not stand alone. Just as the armies and cultures of the past have contributed to Afghanistan’s rich cultural heritage, NATO forces continue to do so today.

Last week, I visited a stunning exhibition in Bonn, Germany of the “Lost Treasures of Afghanistan”; a trove of gold, silver and ivory that bear witness to the rich mix of cultures that both came to and traded with this country. This past week our J9 Directorate Chief, Michael Ritchie and our Public Private Cooperation Division Chief, Dr. Judy Reid, participated in a EUCOM-hosted conference, "Silk Road Initiative."  It encouraged collaborative investments by both the business and public sectors along the route, particularly in Afghanistan.

The lost treasures exhibit, the “Silk Road Initiative” conference, and the NATO Summit all remind me that Afghanistan is more than today’s image of war and suffering. Afghanistan was and is a vital cultural crossroads and home of proud people with an extremely rich heritage that is centered along the Silk Road.

Of course the Silk Road was not a single road at all, but a series of paths connecting cities, trading posts, and caravan watering places. While it was meant as a trade network, it fostered not only an exchange of goods, but also of ideas and cultures. Afghanistan because of its geographical location was not at the periphery of the western world but at the very center of trade routes.

The art exhibit helped me to rediscover another Afghanistan. If you are interested, I encourage you to visit this collection of previously thought lost or destroyed ancient treasures at the German government museum in Bonn. The exhibit, which had toured the US in 2008-9, has proven so popular that it has been extended until Jan. 2, 2011. Go there and you will not be disappointed. Bonn, John Le Carre’s “sleepy little town on the Rhine” is easy to get to and a wonderful city. (02228-9171-200 / www.bundeskunsthalle.de)

I work at a military headquarters which supports the NATO and US missions in Afghanistan. EUCOM’s number one mission is something we call “Building Partner Capacity” and like most things in the military it has an acronym: BPC. We focus our BPC efforts on numerous security issues in the region to include supporting the mission in Afghanistan. We assist militaries in our Area of Focus (AOF) in improving their ability to operate in Afghanistan.

As heard at Lisbon, Afghanistan is also NATO’s number one priority. I am convinced that there is a direct correlation between the work we do at EUCOM and the number of European military forces contributing to ISAF. More than 85 percent of troop-contributing countries come from among the 51 nations in our AOF.

This varied international presence in Afghanistan results in a mix of cultures today just as existed from 2000 BC to 100 AD when the Silk Road traded in the “hidden treasures” I recently saw. The ivory carvings bearing witness to India, the Greek objects from a city founded by Alexander the Great at the foot of the Hindu Kush, and the 21,000 gold pieces from nomadic princes, are also what we are fighting for in Afghanistan.

In my mind, we are fighting to ensure that these parts of a people’s heritage are preserved and have a window to the world. Every object that I viewed had been hidden for the past 30 years for fear of losing them to others.

Just as NATO reinforced its commitment to the people of Afghanistan in Lisbon on Friday, I am proud of the support that EUCOM indirectly provides to the Afghan people and to their culture and I’m reminded of the phrase adorning the Kabul National Museum: “A nation stays alive when its culture stays alive.”

Mike Anderson
Deputy Director,
J9 Interagency Partnering Directorate

Many of you are aware of the NATO Summit in Lisbon this weekend. I'm spending much of this week preparing for it, and thought I'd share with you a few thoughts on the summit's importance and what we hope to achieve in this key forum.

Currently, 28 NATO Heads of States and Governments (HoSG) are expected to convene at the NATO Summit. Over a series of meetings, our leaders will discuss a handful of issues central to the future security of Europe and North America, focusing on the new strategic concept and its subsequent implementation: crisis management; missile defense; the comprehensive approach; cyber security; and NATO headquarters and command structure reform.

The status of operations and training in Afghanistan will of course be high on the agenda, and, in a 48-nation HoSG forum dedicated to the topic, I'll be making remarks on this subject to the assembled leaders.

Also, the NATO-Russia Council will convene on 20 November. Russia's president will participate, along with NATO Heads of States and Governments, in order to explore means to enhance practical cooperation on areas such as Afghanistan, missile defense, disarmament, and countering proliferation, terrorism, narcotics and piracy.

In short, the NATO Summit is expected to underscore the importance of NATO today, reaffirming and modernizing its security and defense mandate. Many, if not all, of the issues that will be addressed in Lisbon are central to our work here at Allied Command Operations (ACO), as well as at EUCOM.

I hope all of you follow the proceedings closely, and please feel free to share any thoughts and impressions as you follow the discourse.

Adm. James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe

I spent a fascinating day in Kosovo last week, visiting as the NATO Commander just a few days before Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived to represent ongoing US support for Kosovo.  In a phrase: What a difference a decade makes.

I met with the clergy at Zociste Monastery in Southern Kosovo.

While not in the headlines in the United States for several years, the situation in the late 1990s in Kosovo was truly terrible, which prompted NATO to take action.  A brutal campaign of "ethnic cleansing" caused at least 50,000 civilian deaths and led to a NATO intervention.  Over 1,500,000 civilians were displaced and became refugees.

NATO has been helping to guarantee a safe and secure environment for ALL citizens for the past 11 years.  

At its height, there were nearly 50,000 NATO and coalition troops in Kosovo.

During my 16 months as SACEUR, we've reduced troop levels from 15,000 to 9,000 and, pending direction from the North Atlantic Council, are moving to draw down even further -- a testimony to the success of the mission. The NATO mission in Kosovo has been well supported by Alliance nations along with 7 non-NATO troop contributing nations today.

In addition to helping provide the broad security required to ensure a secure and stable environment, NATO has protected key religious sites and trained the new Kosovo Security Force.  We have "unfixed" from 2 of 9 of these religious sites this year (which is "NATO speak" meaning that NATO troops no longer directly protect the sites), and the Kosovo Police have performed flawlessly since taking full responsibility for the first 2 "unfixed" sites.  The "unfixing" of a third site is scheduled for completion in early November.

Major General Erhard Bühler, Commander KFOR (f.l.t.r.), Brigadier General Stephan Thomas, Commander MNBG South, and I visit an Observation Point near Zociste Monastery.

During my visit, I spent time at a Serbian Orthodox Monastery, one of 7 sensitive sites in Kosovo still protected by NATO troops today.  The Serbian Monks are dedicated men protecting a religious site that dates from the 13th century.

Overall, I came away with a sense that this kind of peace support mission undertaken by NATO and our partners can succeed, despite turbulent conditions, ethnic and religious tension, and environmental challenges.

Adm. James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe

Lt. Gen. William B. Caldwell: Commander, NATO Training Mission – Afghanistan and Commanding General, Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan

In the past ten months there has been measured progress in the Afghan National Security Force (ANSF); in quality as well as quantity. Since last November, NATO Training Mission Afghanistan has supported the Afghan Ministries of Interior and Defense to recruit, train and assign over 100,000 soldiers and police, an incredible feat. To achieve this, the training capacity was increased, moving from under 10,000 seats for police training alone to almost 15,000.

Quality improved, as well. The instructor to trainee ratio decreased from 1:76 to 1:29, greatly increasing the ability of trainers to give attention to individuals. Improvements like this led to an improved basic rifle qualification rate; increasing from an embarrassing 35% to 97%. To truly professionalize the force, however, will require even more attention to quality in the force – and trainers with specialized skills are required to accomplish this.

In order to develop the systems and institutions that are required to continue to professionalize and grow the ANSF, specialty training is required. Schools that teach skills like acquisitions, logistics, maintenance, intelligence, and even field artillery are needed to balance a currently infantry-centric force. Additionally, leader development courses like the police staff college, police and army officer candidate schools, and various non-commissioned officer development courses are needed. All of these specialty skills require trainers with the requisite skills – trainers that can only be found in the international community. Over the next ten months, our requirement for these trainers will double, with needed skill sets ranging from Mi-17 helicopter pilots and maintainers to doctors, police trainers to instructors at the signal school.

The impacts of not sourcing our trainer requirements are that training base expansions to increase capacity are hindered, specialty school development will be delayed, pace of specialty skills development will be slowed, and the professionalization of the ANSF will be hampered.

Essentially, the process of transition to the ANSF will be delayed; as the Secretary General of NATO said recently, “no trainers, no transition.”

If we do not resource the training mission in Afghanistan, we will not be able to achieve our goals for increased quantity and improved quality. We must not allow that to happen. We need to sustain the momentum we have achieved in the past ten months so that we capitalize on our achievements thus far. To create Afghan capacity that is enduring and self-sustaining we must professionalize the police, army, and air forces; create viable logistics and medical systems; and improve the infrastructure and the institutions that train and educate them…above all, we MUST have the trainers to develop them.

Lieutenant General William B. Caldwell, IV
U.S. Army
Commanding General, NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan
Kabul, Afghanistan

A superb staff officer from my years at U.S. Southern Command, Colonel Bryan Sparling is the Communication Director for the ISAF Joint Command (IJC), working for my good friend Lieutenant General Dave Rodriguez.  Bryan oversees the IJC’s work in Public Affairs, Information Operations, and Psychological Operations in Afghanistan today. 

In a recent email to family and friends, he did a nice job of laying out the task ahead and the stakes, with a focus on information.  I thought others might be interested in his thoughts and observations, and so I'm including him as a guest blogger today:

Members of the Iowa National Guard's 734th Agri-Business Development Team, meet with their counterparts from the Kunar provincial government to introduce the provincial agriculture leaders to get a better sense for how best to quickly assist the provincial government in providing more robust agricultural services to its citizens.

"The enormity of the mission here is hard to comprehend.  It is truly audacious.  We are simultaneously transforming a government and attempting to connect it to remote constituencies who deeply distrust central authority.  We are building infrastructure: roads, dams, power grids, and Afghanistan's first railroad.  And we are creating military and police forces while fighting side-by-side with them against an entrenched insurgency supported by a robust sanctuary in Pakistan. 

Progress is being made, but it is painstakingly slow.  This is in no way the same war that we entered in 2001.  This war has become about much more.  NATO is, with little argument, the most successful alliance in the history of the world.  And the nations of NATO, along with others, have, here in Afghanistan, effectively pushed all their chips into the center of the table.  The stakes are high.  With no hyperbole, what is being tested here is the mettle of liberal democracy.  The question in the air is whether the prosperous, free people of the world will stand and fight for their ideals against religious ideologues and criminal extremists empowered by global information technology.  Without a doubt this is an information war.

Daily we fight lies.  Ultimately it will be our actions that speak loudest and demonstrate to these people that we are not lying, that we are on the side of Truth, and that we honestly have their best interests in mind; that having a government responsive to its people and strong enough to enforce a monopoly on violence, having an educated populace and empowering another half of their population, women, to prosper are things that are truly in the Afghan, the Western and the American interest.

Pray for our leaders.  This is a crucial year."

Bryan N. Sparling
Colonel (OF-5), U.S. Army
Communication Director, ISAF Joint Command IO Director
USFOR-A Kabul, Afghanistan

An Afghan National Air Force member looks on as civilians load ballot boxes into an Mi-17 helicopter in Jaghuri, Afghanistan, Sept. 20, 2010.

That sums up the year ahead accurately.  We ARE moving forward with a focus on training the Afghan security forces and transitioning all security work to them.  A good example of the Afghan security forces' increasingly capable work is the recent Parliamentary elections.  Despite many boastful promises from the Taliban to disrupt them, the elections were safely conducted with only scattered and ineffective attacks, nearly 4 million votes cast, and roughly a 40% turnout -- comparable to parliamentary elections in many western countries.

Many challenges ahead, but with effective information operations, aggressive training programs, and a solid plan for transition, we can and will succeed.

Adm. James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe

Hila Hanif, U.S. EUCOM Special Assistant for Muslim Outreach

I recently had the opportunity to join Admiral Stavridis for a second time on a trip to Afghanistan. I worked in Kabul from 2005-2007 in the development field and had little exposure to ISAF operations during that time, so for me it has been a wonderfully unique experience to observe the work of the NATO Mission.

On this last trip we took a tour of the National Military Academy of Afghanistan. Years ago a friend of mine, a graduate of West Point, proudly told me about “East Point”, the military academy in Afghanistan modeled after West Point. Last week when I spoke to a professor at the military academy, as we ended the conversation, he emphasized “one important point that you should know, we are modeled after West Point.” The pride with which they both described this relationship gave me a sense of the bonds being built by the Afghan soldiers and their ISAF partners.

My family emigrated from Afghanistan to the United States decades ago, and while Afghans sometimes laugh at my Americanized accent, I was able to speak with some students and soldiers from the commando unit in Dari, one of the official languages of Afghanistan, to get their impressions of the progress of the training mission. They spoke very proudly of the development of the academy, but more importantly, they emphasized their eagerness to serve their country.

One of ADM Stavridis' military assistants and I at Forward Operating Base Morales-Frazier

It is a significant achievement that the military academy is graduating hundreds of new, well-trained Afghan military officers each year. But from what I saw, their achievements go beyond that initial goal. They are providing these students and soldiers with a quality education that is not available to a large segment of the population, and giving them knowledge and skills that will be useful for them and for their country beyond the battlefield.

Just as important as the skills they are developing is the professional ethos and unity among the students. The military academy is bringing together Afghans from different regions of a war-torn and fractured country to work together. This is no small feat in a country that spent years fighting along ethnic divisions. When I asked a few students what part of Afghanistan they were from, several of them answered “I’m from Afghanistan, just Afghanistan,” not wanting to be categorized by region. After I heard that response a couple of times I realized it was deliberate. Given the history and current state of ethnic tension in Afghanistan, it was great to hear that the students and soldiers in this program are looking to work together for a national cause and work beyond ethnic differences.

The NATO training mission has developed a great model for capacity building and it’s no wonder that the students at the National Military Academy were so proud to be part of the institution.

Hila Hanif
U.S. European Command Special Assistant for Muslim Outreach
Fellow, Office of the Secretary of Defense Presidential Management

During the past week of LOGEX 10, I’ve had the distinct honor to serve among and work with some of the best people in the multinational logistics community. I was impressed by the professionalism and competence of our friends in US Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM) J7, Allied Command Transformation (ACT) and our NATO Allies and partners. These characteristics truly show during events such as this and I am proud to be associated with the exercise and everyone here.

It’s been a busy week as my official -- yet, unofficial title as Chief of real life support for LOGEX 10. My time is not my own, of course, and I am constantly tending to the myriad of tasks that make the exercise run or coordinating the support for the next sequence of events.

Participants from Hungary discuss exercise tasks during LOGEX 10

The level of attention given to this exercise by our primary participants is spectacular and the training audience is fully engaged each and every day with 30-40 Main Event List or Main Incident List injects or MEL/MILs. These are NATO terms for what’s normally called the Master Event Scenario List (MESL). The test for the training audience is to access their functional knowledge of NATO doctrine as they officially respond to these MEL/MILs. Did their actions follow NATO doctrine and were the correct reports submitted on time and to the right agency? These are just some of the checks the Exercise Control Group uses to evaluate the training audience throughout the course of the exercise. Some days are easier than others, but each day is targeted towards a specific training objective and designed to address a full spectrum of logistics operations.

Today marks the successful conclusion of our Distinguished Visitor’s Day Events. All in all, there were 23 Senior National Leaders from 13 nations present during DV Day to include Vice Admiral Kavaldzhiev, Deputy CHOD, Bulgaria, as well as Captain Dennis Mikeska, USJFCOM Chief, Joint Exercises Division and BG Barbara Faulkenberry, Deputy Director Logistics, USAFRICOM.

Rear Admiral Brown, Director EUCOM J4 with Senior National Logistics Leaders from 12 NATO and Partnership for Peace nations

Guests were welcomed by Colonel Mark Baines, Commandant NATO School who gave a brief overview of the charter of the NATO School and its illustrious history. The Czech Republic presented a lecture on their initiative with the Multinational Logistics Coordination Center and Montenegro discussed the Adriatic Five Maintenance Status and initiatives. These topics provided the backdrop for an open discussion regarding LOGEX 10 achievements and lessons learned, as well as potential sources of future logistics engagements. Rear Admiral William Brown, Director, EUCOM J4 expressed a desire to move forward in FY11 with logistics engagements and continue to develop and share in our national logistics capabilities. The DVs were then escorted to the training areas to observe the functions and operations of the exercise.

As the exercise draws to a conclusion, I find myself focused on capturing the lessons learned in the Post Exercise Discussion (PXD), which will take place in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in late October. At that point, we will review the Exercise Summary Report and re-engage National Leaders on the lessons learned from the LOGEX 10 series.

I would be remiss if I did not give a special thanks to the NATO School for their outstanding support during this exercise. Without them, the exercise would not have happened. The entire staff here is the best anyone could wish for and I couldn’t have assembled a better team if I tried. I am also grateful to the NATO School Protocol Office for their assistance in making the difficult seem easy. Thank you all for your help and hospitality. Thanks also to EUCOM’s MSgt Mike Brackett who helped keep me on track with supporting the exercise and the USJFCOM team for their friendship and tremendous effort it took to assemble the Program of Instruction for this exercise.

This concludes my blog on the LOGEX 10 series. LOGEX 11 will be hosted by Ukraine and Georgia and promises to be another exciting year.

As for my LOGEX 10 readers… thanks for your interest in multinational logistics and I’ll see you on the high ground.

LOGEX 10 Participants and Observers. Senior National Representatives (seated left to right): Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, JFCOM Exercise Director, EUCOM Lead Planner (me), Poland and Romania

MAJ Matt Williams
US European Command J4

Last week I completed my sixth trip to Afghanistan since becoming SACEUR. As always, I was struck by the challenges we face – corruption, ANSF attrition, and IEDs to name a few. More importantly, however, I am encouraged by the progress I saw during my visit and am more convinced than ever than we can succeed in Afghanistan.  

Talking with French troops during a visit to Forward Operating Base Morales-Frazier, Afghanistan

I spent the bulk of my time visiting NATO forces in Regional Command East. In this region, one size does not fit all. The provinces vary significantly in many ways – enemy, terrain, economy, ethnicity, etc. Effective counterinsurgency requires experienced, well-trained leaders and forces that can think their way through complex situations and find just the right combination of programs and actions to stabilize the area. I was uniformly impressed by the quality of the comprehensive counterinsurgency operations our forces were executing.  

Task Force Lafayette, our French Battlegroup, operates to the northeast of Kabul in Kapisa Province. This fine unit has mastered the art of partnering and mentoring the ANSF. OMLTs and POMLTs operate throughout the province training and operating with their Afghan colleagues. As a result, the confidence, competence, and capabilities of their partner units are improving.  

Southwest of Kabul in Ghazni Province, Task Force White Eagle, our Polish Battlegroup is in a difficult fight with a determined enemy. In situations like this it is easy to default strictly to kinetic operations. Despite the challenge of a very dangerous enemy, Task Force White Eagle continues to take an integrated civilian military approach to stabilizing and developing Ghazni Province.  

Meeting the Polish commander at Forward Operating Base Ghazni

Overwhelmingly, I was struck by the quality of our servicemen and women. Both the French and the Polish Troops represented their nations and NATO in a superb fashion. I was delighted by the Afghan Forces I visited with, as well.  

I met with the faculty of Afghanistan’s National Military Academy. The graduating class of 2009 was 84 students, and the class of 2010 was 212. These are great numbers, but more encouraging is the fact that there are more than 3000 applicants for 650 available seats in the class of 2014.  

On a tour in the National Military Afghan Academy, talking to Afghan Commando Soldiers.

While at the academy, I was honored to meet with the ANA Commandos, an elite unit that maintains an impressive 100% retention rate. These great Soldiers, along with other SOF elements, have an enormous operational tempo. In the last 90 days, they executed 4000 precision operations taking the most dangerous enemy leaders off the battlefield. With such high standards and phenomenal retention rates, this unit is producing leaders that will help move the ANA forward for years to come.  

Undoubtedly, there are many challenges facing us in Afghanistan. The great news is that NATO and Afghan National Security Forces are meeting these challenges head on.  

Adm. James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe

I attended a fascinating event on Friday night in Ankara: the change of command ceremony for the Chief of the Turkish General Staff, the senior military officer in Turkey.

My very close friend, General Ilker Basbug, was bringing to a conclusion two years as the Chief of Defense and more than 50 years in uniform. He was commissioned in 1962 and served a long and distinguished career, including postings outside of Turkey in Belgium and England, among others.

Admiral James Stavridis is greeted by Turkish Lieutenant General Yasar GGÃler,

He was relieved by General Isik Kosaner, another superb officer who has commanded at every level and holds a deep expertise in Special Operations, very useful given Turkey’s ongoing conflict with Kurdish separatist terrorists and much combat in southeastern Turkey.

When my plane touched down at the Etimesgut Air Base outside of Ankara, it was a sunny and hot late afternoon on the Anatolian plain. The timing was tight, and I made it to the ceremony with minutes to spare.

This was not a big parade field with units and bands marching – instead it was held in a new, modern and large auditorium at the headquarters of the Turkish General Staff. On a stage with two enormous flags of Turkey behind them, both General Basbug and General Kosaner spoke for more than 40 minutes each.

In attendance were the President, Prime Minister, Defense Minister, and many other leading civilian politicians. I had a chance to chat with each of them and thanked them for Turkey’s contributions to the NATO missions in Afghanistan and the Balkans.

They both acknowledged the vital importance of civilian control of the military, as well as the need for the Turkish Armed Forces to continue their role in protecting Turkey in a turbulent world.

General Basbug expressed frustration at the negative role the media has played in a variety of events in Turkey. He was very open and honest in his remarks. At one point in the evening he said, with a big smile on his face, “I have done my best, and I still have the energy of a Lieutenant.”

General Kosaner spoke at length about the geopolitical situation facing Turkey, saying a sentence or two about each of Turkey’s neighbors, from Iran (we need to solve the nuclear problem with diplomatic means) to Afghanistan (the comprehensive approach that protects civilians is key).

At the reception following the event, I was struck once again with the critical geopolitical importance of Turkey: an expanding population of over 70 million, the largest Army in NATO after the United States, a resilient economy, and a strategic location on both the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.

Seated with the Admiral Stavridis are Retired General and former Chief of Defense, Hilmi ÃzkkÃk and his spouse (right), Minister of Defense Vecdi GGÃnnÃl and his spouse (left).

We are lucky to have such a vital country as a friend and ally in NATO. Clearly we will disagree over a variety of issues, as we did recently in the Security Council over Iranian sanctions; but over time, the relationship with Turkey must remain strong and balanced.

Adm. James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe

As we learn time and again, Mother Nature demands our respect. Although the core competency of militaries is not humanitarian work, we are sometimes called upon to help respond to natural disasters, providing life-saving support to affected communities.

During the past couple of weeks, I’ve been focused on two very different disasters: the flooding in Pakistan and the wildfires raging in Russia. Each is a case study in the complexities of delivering security in the 21st Century.

A member of the Pakistan military helps civilians unload from the back of a U.S. Army helicopter in the town of Khwazahkela, during the evacuation of civilians,as part of the disaster relief effort to help the flood victims of Pakistan, Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan.

In the case of Pakistan, 20 million people have been affected by the flooding – nearly a fifth of the country. The need is tremendous. The U.S. has pledged substantial assistance, along with many other nations and international organizations. From the NATO side, we have sent an assessment team to determine what help the Alliance can provide, pending authorization from the North Atlantic Council (NAC). I am anticipating an effort using an air bridge to help move desperately needed supplies. Pakistan is, of course, a key strategic partner in Afghanistan. At SHAPE, we are engaged heavily in planning so that if the mandate comes from the NAC, we are ready to spring into action.

Sergeant Terrill Wright, 37th Airlift Squadron, pushes a pallet of firefighting and humanitarian supplies on to a C-130J at Trondheim Airport, Norway, after an official request from the government of Russia to the US.

In the case of Russia, we are pushing assistance via U.S. European Command in concert with and under the lead of other U.S. federal organizations (State, USAID, and so on) and, of course, in full coordination and at the request of the Government of Russia. Russia is, without a doubt, an important and complex partner; there is real need, from a humanitarian perspective, to provide assistance. We have a lot of military capabilities that can be helpful, from aircraft to specialized equipment to knowledge from our own U.S. experiences in battling wildfires on the West Coast. A USAF C-130s relief support mission from Ramstein to Russia took place over the weekend, loaded with equipment. We’re ready to provide additional support if requested by Russia.

It’s heartening to see the international community come together to respond to these tragedies. And although we hate to see these disasters occur, it’s an honor to be a part of military organizations which are so quick to respond and capable of providing much needed assistance.

Adm. James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe

See more stories about the international response at:
http://bit.ly/9z4j8r and http://bit.ly/9RaYJP

Staff Sgt. Joshua Dowell, 1st Armored Div., points out a hidden, simulated improvised explosive device to members of the 6th Iraqi Army Div., during a training exercise.

On August 11, Muslims around the world will observe Ramadan, a special month in the Islamic calendar. They believe that the first verses of the Muslim holy book, the Qu’ran, were revealed during this month, so it is a very significant time of year in the Muslim tradition. I have talked with some of my Muslim friends and colleagues about the significance of the month. By fasting from dawn to sunset and spending more time on prayers, they are going through a physical and spiritual cleansing, and fulfilling one of the five pillars of the Islamic faith. They put a special emphasis on sharing meals with friends and family, and attend additional prayers in the evening after breaking the fast. The month is meant to allow Muslims to empathize with the poor and the hungry, to practice discipline and self-restraint, and to grow spiritually.

You may be wondering why the EUCOM commander is taking the time to talk about the significance of Ramadan. I am a firm believer in learning as much as we can about the peoples that we work with and their cultures. It helps us understand each other better and it also brings to our attention key events that we should keep in mind when planning our operations.

U.S. Army Sgt. Maj. Ralph R. Beam, Command Sergeant Major, NATO Training Mission - Afghanistan, interacts with Afghanistan National Police recruits during a visit to TSS Costell in Kandahar.

As the NATO commander, I am paying very close attention to the progress of the NATO training missions in Iraq and in Afghanistan. As the majority of these troops are Muslim, many of whom will be fasting during Ramadan, our commanders who are leading the training mission will be aware of the special circumstances during this time. Troops who will be fasting may be physically weaker because they are abstaining from food and drink during the day. At sunset, troops will want to take time to have “iftaar”, the dinner that marks the break of a day of fasting, and take time for prayers. While we don’t want to slow the progress of the NATO training missions, we will keep in mind the importance of this special month and do what we can to make sure our Muslim friends can fulfill their religious duties. We also have many troops in the NATO Alliance, and others who are from nations contributing troops to Afghanistan, who will be observing Ramadan.

To our Muslim friends, Ramadan Mubarak, or Happy Ramadan. Through mutual respect and understanding, our partnership and joint efforts will grow and become stronger!

Adm. James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe

Pretty surprising that a Supreme Allied Commander Europe – standing as I do in the footsteps of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, just 65 years after the end of WWII and after 60 years of the founding of the Alliance – would feel need to blog about “Why NATO Matters to the USA.”

But let me offer a quote:  “The Alliance today faces a more complex set of challenges than perhaps at any time in its history.  The reasons for nations' reluctance to carry out agreed defense commitments go beyond the current economic slowdown in the West, although that is the proximate cause. In the debates over security policy throughout the Alliance there is evidence of deeper public concerns over basic Alliance purposes and over the viability of Alliance efforts to achieve them.”

Think you read this recently?  Sounds a lot like recent opinion pieces about the growing “irrelevancy” of NATO in particular and Europe in general?  Yes, but that piece was written back in 1982, by one of my predecessors, General Bernie Rogers.

Yet since that moment of doubt and complexity, NATO has continued its positive and important contribution to European, North American and, more recently, to global security.

Today, NATO employs over 130,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines on three continents in a wide variety of vital missions:  the Balkans, counter-piracy, counter-terrorism, and training missions in both Iraq and Afghanistan.  We also perform traditional defense of the Alliance missions, ranging from patrolling the skies over NATO’s Baltic allies to complex multi-national exercises with our 28 member states and 33 partners in the Partnership for Peace, the Mediterranean Dialogue, and the Istanbul Cooperative Initiative.

Let me give four reasons NATO will continue to matter for the United States in the early turbulence of the 21^st century:

First, before we decide we don’t think NATO matters, let’s do a little “comparative shopping.”  Practically speaking, NATO has the best pool of partners we will have in the world for the foreseeable future.  Look at the other Cold War Alliances and what happened to them.  Remember CENTO?  How about SEATO?  The RIO Pact?  All have folded their tents and faded away.  Before we decide we can do without NATO, we should think about where our other partners will come from – the bench isn’t deep.  As one example, in Afghanistan today, 85% of our partner nations come from Europe, contributing over 40,000 troops and having tragically experienced over 600 of their finest young people killed in action, shoulder to shoulder with our own 1,000 painful losses, in an effort to support the young Afghan democracy and deny al-Qaeda platforms from which to launch attacks on our nations.  This is substantial by any measure.

Second, as Willie Sutton said, “Why rob banks?  Because that’s where the money is.”  If we are looking for capable military partners with real resources, the ability to deploy and operate with us, and well-trained troops, Europe provides the lion’s share in the world today.  With a collective GDP of over $15 trillion (larger than that of the US), and over two million men and women in uniform (almost all of whom are volunteers, as in the U.S.), this is where the “money is” in terms of real military capability and credibility.

Third, from a philosophical perspective, these are many of the nations who most fundamentally share our values.  Europe is the source of the enlightenment and the values of democracy and liberty that we cherish: individual and human rights, freedom of speech and religion, and rule of law.  While there are individual countries around the world which certainly share those values, there is no other region in the world which so highly shares and is prepared to act to defend our fundamental values.

Fourth, the demographic ties that connect us are the strongest with Europe.  Today nearly 70% of the US population traces its heritage and roots to Europe.  This lineage creates bonds that are linguistic, cultural, historical, and economic.  Granted, the economics of Asia and the Pacific Rim are compelling over time, as are the rising democracies of Latin America.  Yet for the foreseeable future, the linkages with Europe remain the strongest overall set of connections that we have in the world.

So before we decide NATO isn’t so important to Americans, I’d suggest we take a clear-eyed look at the other options, the tendency to partner with us, the basic military skills, the level of resources, and the values that bind.  NATO specifically and Europe in general still, even after 60+ years of alliance, look to me like pretty good partners.

Admiral James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander Europe

It’s been a busy couple of weeks since my last blog, including trips all over the NATO world. As regular followers of both US and NATO security interests, I’m sure you already know what a busy couple of weeks it has been.

Navy Adm. James Stavridis, Gen. Dave Petraeus and NATO Secretary General Anders Rasmussen meet at NATO

Army Gen. Dave Petraeus took command of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) on Sunday, the 4th of July. In his new capacity, he reports to the Secretary General, Anders Rasmussen, via my headquarters.

Given that Dave and I have a close working and personal relationship going back over a decade, this is a good partnership to which I look forward.

Just prior to taking command, General Petraeus was in Brussels to address the NATO political leadership at the North Atlantic Council (NAC).

Gen. Dave Petraeus gives briefing at NATO headquarters in Belgium.

It was good to touch base with him in person before he headed to Kabul. Secretary General Rasmussen and Chairman Di Paola met with him individually, as well. He also spent time with German General Ramms of Joint Force Command Brunssum.

As has been discussed at length in the media and beyond, General Petraeus has been heavily involved in the Afghanistan mission prior to his appointment as Commander, ISAF, and there will not be significant changes to the strategy. We continue to focus our efforts on security, development and governance of Afghanistan.

Let’s take just a moment to revisit the main goals in Afghanistan for the remainder of 2010:

We will look into the expansion of security; the performance of the Afghan national security forces and their growth, not only in terms of numbers but also in capacity; and we will look into complementary activities in terms of governance and the delivery of basic services.

These activities are aimed at creating the conditions for an eventual transition to Afghan lead. I want to emphasize again that this will be a conditions-based process and we will do what it takes to prepare our Afghan partners to take control of their own security and governance.

As I say frequently, we won’t deliver security in Afghanistan solely from the barrel of a gun. We need to do four fundamental things:

Adm. James Stavridis, Gen. Dave Petraeus, and German Gen Egon Ramms at Joint Force Command Brunssum

- Protect the people of Afghanistan
- Conduct effective strategic communication
- Balance civil and military activity
- Train the Afghan Security Forces

In addition to focusing on Afghanistan, the past few weeks have been full of meetings and important discussions with civilian and military leaders in Turkey, New York, Luxembourg, Canada and – this week – Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. I’ve been to almost 40 countries in this first year.

I’ll try to catch my breath in the next week or so and get back to you soon!

Admiral James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander Europe

Hello again and welcome to the latest update on LOGEX 10. I am currently writing from the historic city of Bucharest, Romania. I noted in previous blogs that we were in the middle of a series of five bilateral workshops that prepare participants for the actual exercise in September.

Participants stand in front of the Cercul Militar National (CMN) building during the US-Romania bi-lateral NSE/LOGFAS/RSOM workshop in Bucharest, Romania.

These workshops are designed for each participating nation to develop NATO National Detailed Deployment Plans (DDPs) for use at the Final Workshop next month.  

The more workshops I attend, the more I see how these events are great sources of information and learning for everyone. The workshops break the participants down into small working groups that develop national DDPs, learn about deployed contracting concepts, and review National Support Element (NSE) guidelines. One could say that the participants are building a bridge to not only a successful exercise, but to a stronger and more capable national logistics capability that contributes to NATO-led operations. 

For NATO-aspirant nations, these achievements, among others, are potential ways to reach Membership Action Plan (MAP) goals. Started in 1999, The Membership Action Plan (MAP) assists those countries which wish to join the Alliance in their preparations by providing advice, assistance and practical support.  It is important to note, however, that participation in MAP does not guarantee future NATO membership, but oversight from NATO does provide aspiring countries with critical feedback on their preparations for achieving future membership, and may also suggest a range of additional activities designed to strengthen each aspirant country’s candidacy. 

Planning continues in Romania and Hungary this month as we quickly approach execution.  July will also be a busy month as we conduct the Final Workshop and Final Coordination Conference.  Of those two remaining events, I submit that the Final Workshop is perhaps the most critical of the workshops because it is time where all the participating nations get together and consolidate their national plans into one cohesive and executable plan that will be inputted into the exercise data base for execution.  It is truly a multinational effort, so it is important that the team get it right the first time because we all know that, “garbage in is garbage out.”  It is for this reason that nothing in the LOGEX series ever done in a vacuum, and all decisions require a consensus from everyone involved.  I am confident that we will have a challenging and rewarding exercise. 

I would like to extend my gratitude to the Romania Ministry of National Defense (MOND) and LTC Cornel Comeaga, LTC Ion Lazarescu, and MAJ Bogdan Pascal who have all worked hard to ensure the success of this event.   Equally important are the hours and hours of preparation for the course material and lectures from the training team that includes subject matter experts from JFCOM, Allied Command Transformation and the NATO School.

So the bridge framework appears secure and the destination is certainly leading our allied partners towards a stronger and more capable Alliance.  Stronger Together.

That does it for this month; join me next time for another edition of LOGEX 10.

Noroc!

MAJ Matt Williams
United States European Command J4

Chaplain (Col.) Brian Van Sickle, Command Chaplain, EUCOM

Military chaplains from Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Canada, Poland, Germany, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Italy, and the U.S. comprised the group that met at the Italian Air Force (ITAF) Headquarters for the annual NATO Air Force Chaplains Conference in Rome from June 13-18.

The Conference was originally called the “Allied Air Forces in Europe Chaplaincy Consultative Committee” when it was established in 1952 by the SHAPE Commander, General Eisenhower. He believed that “a convocation of NATO chaplains could do much for the spiritual and moral uplift of the respective countries... and not to see the chaplains as 'spiritual guns' to mobilize religion for the sake of anti-communism.”

This year’s theme, “Spirituality of Military Ethics,” paved the way for briefings and discussions that were both stimulating and relevant for all Coalition partners engaged in military missions to CENTCOM. The conference was designed to reinforce command priorities, meet with partner nation military chaplains to evaluate ministry initiatives in our respective areas of responsibility, compare best practices, and understand the strategic and operational goals and challenges from each country's perspective.

One discussion with the Italians specifically, involved spiritual assistance to the military from the Catholic traditional perspective since the Italian Chaplaincy is a 'single-confession' chaplaincy, meaning all of their flock is of the same faith.

Chaplains from all countries represented are very interested in professionalizing their military ministry in order to be more relevant in helping commanders and soldiers make sound ethical decisions. Issues around just war, treatment of prisoners of war, torture, combat stress, reintegration, homosexuality and suicide were among the subjects discussed. My fellow chaplains and I were also able to share helpful resources and best practices from our own countries and experiences.

Ministry in a religiously diverse military was an especially challenging issue for all chaplains attending, but especially so for those from minority faith groups who struggle with being excluded from within the 'single-confession chaplaincies'.

NATO Air Force Chaplains face unique issues in their ministry to airmen in their services: pastoral care for airmen operating Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and living at home, separation from the fight at the base as they send airmen into battle, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), etc. We are working to help each other address these common issues more productively. Our allies are very interested in all the ministry training resources we have in the U.S. and I have shared our chaplain school lesson plans and teaching aids to them so we can be “Stronger Together.”

I am excited that USAFE Command Chaplain will host next year's conference on behalf of the USAF Chief of Chaplains.

Ciao!

Chaplain (Col.) Brian R. Van Sickle
Command Chaplain, EUCOM

U.S. Air Force Chaplain (Col.) Brian Van Sickle with Albanian Lt. Col. Dritan Demiraj, Special Forces Battalion Commander.

I spent the week of June 7-11 in Tirana, Albania, hosted by the US Defense Attaché and Office of Defense Cooperation. They invited me to help assess the need for the Albanians to establish a military chaplaincy as they anticipate the possibility of casualties from their combat mission in Afghanistan. Currently, their law prohibits religious expression in the military even though its permitted by law in the civilian population since 1991.

I met with their senior military/civilian Ministry of Defense leadership and each of the leaders of civilian faith groups (Muslim, Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant) to explain the role chaplains play within the military besides doing services. After fourteen meetings it was clear they are very eager to establish chaplaincies but realize their constitutional law must be changed to allow it.

The deputy Chief of Defense was quite emphatic about inviting me back for a session with key decision makers in Parliament, Ministry of Defense and civilian religious leaders. Key to the discussion was the fact that of the 28 NATO members, 26 have chaplaincies but Albania and Bulgaria do not. Since Albania's acceptance into NATO in April 2009, they are very eager to become as much like their partners as they can be...this is just another element.

Most encouraging however, was the one-on-one conversations with the leadership about their personal faith and their hunger for God. They bemoan the fact that Albania is the only country in history that officially declared themselves an Atheist Nation while communist.

The history of religious persecution and the current legal restrictions on freedom of religion in the military was all new information to me and was critical for me to know as I explained the foundations and structures of other international chaplaincies.

The visit far exceeded my expectations and I look forward to seeing how the Albanian military deals with this pressing and important issue.

Chaplain (Col.) Brian R. Van Sickle
Command Chaplain, EUCOM

Just back from two days in Kabul, and when I think back on the situation a year ago, the progress is very encouraging.

I met with Gen. Stan McChrystal, the commander of ISAF, his German Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Bruno Kasdorf, and his entire international team, as well as with a senior group of Afghan security experts, Generals, and Ministers and several hundred Afghan soldiers.

Meeting Afghan troops during my visit

Of note, I toured the Kabul Military Training Center, which is 20,000 acres and currently has nearly 10,000 trainees undergoing a series of warrior and combat training courses at all levels from senior officer to junior recruit. Each “kandak,” the Afghan equivalent of a battalion, comprises about 700 soldiers, instructed by our fine trainers. I saw them do everything from respond to Improvised Explosive Devices to administer first aid to attack mock “insurgents” to gather for leadership discussions. I came away impressed with their spirit and evident confidence.

Lt. Gen. Bill Caldwell, in his position of Commander of the NATO Training Mission, is in charge of training Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) throughout the country. He currently has over 30,000 Afghans in training as he builds their Army and Police to over 250,000 by this fall. Bill is full of energy, and brings a great deal of deep experience in training to the job. He has a multinational staff, with senior officers from most of the 46 nations that make up ISAF. Ensuring that he receives the right number and quality of trainers is my top priority as SACEUR.

Meeting one of our great U.S. Army soldiers.

Lt. Gen. Rod Rodriguez, a tall, rangy former West Point lineman leads ISAF operations across Afghanistan, with over 70,000 U.S. and 45,000 other NATO and non-NATO troops under his command. He briefed me on operations in southern Afghanistan, in the Taliban heartland, where progress is steady and the ratio of coalition to Afghan soldiers and policemen approaches 1:1 for the first time in the conflict.

Another strong leader is Vice Adm. Bob Harward, a Navy SEAL with a distinguished combat record in Afghanistan and a fluent Dari-speaker. Bob is in charge of US national detention operations, which will be the first key operation fully transitioned to Afghan leadership. He showed me the plans of the new Parwan detention facility and laid out the rule of law approach he is taking in partnership with the Afghan government and the international community.

As always, I spent time with both Gen. McChrystal and U.S .Ambassador Karl Eikenberry. They are a great team and fashioning an excellent civil-military partnership, along with other key leaders of the international effort. As the Afghan Deputy Minister of Defense said to me, “We will not deliver security from the barrel of a gun in Afghanistan.” He’s right – it will take the combined efforts of ISAF, the Afghan people, the international community, and the neighboring nations to succeed.

Receiving an update on the field from Army Col. Herman.

I’m encouraged and cautiously optimistic about Afghanistan. In addition to the good work by the security forces, there are increasingly good indicators about the economy and society (GDP up 20% last year; potentially huge mining deposits of iron, copper, lithium, and other minerals and metals; 12 million cell phones; 6 million children in schools, doubled over five years, over 40 % of them girls; number of teachers nationwide has doubled). Afghans seem to recognize this progress, and many national polls show strong confidence in the future of the country (70%+) and approval for the government (60%+), very favorable compared to many western countries.

Of concern, violence is up markedly over last year, largely the result of the efforts of both the ANSF and ISAF to take on the Taliban in their “home waters” down south. It will take perseverance and grit to get through what will be a dangerous and tough summer. The insurgency is stubborn and resilient, although largely ineffective in their attempts to attack our forces beyond the toll of IEDs. Overall, there are many challenges ahead; yet I would argue the prognosis for Afghanistan looks brighter today than a year ago, and I believe it will continue to improve.

For additional information, Michael O'Hanlon wrote a great article on the situation in Afghanistan. It's definitely worth reading.

Admiral James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander Europe

As Memorial Day approaches, and brings thoughts of sacrifice, it makes me wonder what leads people into the military. It varies for everyone, of course, but in many cases, it is the power of family and community that draws us into the military. Here is my story.

When I was a boy in the early 1970s, I attended for a time Quantico High School, a Department of Defense institution in northern Virginia. My father was an infantry officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, and over the years of my early life, we had been stationed three separate times at the sprawling and woodsy Quantico Marine Corps Base. It was a paradise for a young boy, full of woods and trails, places to camp, lots of organized athletics, a river nearby, and good sports facilities.

In those years, we lived in a succession of military houses, from the small duplex of a junior officer; to a nice sized single house for a Major and eventually a Lieutenant Colonel; then finally a beautiful and stately Colonel’s house at the top of a wooded rise.

This past weekend, while on a trip to Washington, I had a chance to drive around the base again for the first time in many years. It hasn’t changed so much, at least as I remember it. There are buildings for the training and education of Marine Officers, nice clubs and recreation facilities, a good sized Navy-Marine Corps Exchange and – for me most significantly – Quantico High School. It all looks well cared for, with many new homes and buildings.

I can remember vividly running cross-country and playing tennis on the teams there, and studying in the small class rooms, and above all feeling the sense of community that was so strong there, a child of a Marine family, among other Marine children, all of our fathers engaged in what we knew was serious and important work for the nation.

When I started at Quantico High School, my father had just returned from a year in Vietnam. He had fought as well in Korea as an officer, and served as an enlisted Marine in the Second World War.
In Vietnam, he commanded a reinforced battalion of over a thousand Marines around Da Nang, and he enjoyed the tour and was proud of the work of his Marines in combat. While much of the rest of the country in that time was anguished about that war and generally not appreciative of the Vietnam Vets, my father – like the vast majority of his contemporaries who fought there – was proud.

It influenced me, of course, and I knew what I wanted: Annapolis and a career in the Marine Corps, just like my father. Many of us in Quantico High School in those days aspired to the same course, and many achieved it. I did go to Annapolis, of course; but along the voyage of the years at the Academy decided to go to sea in the Navy; and have no regrets. My father was always very good about my decision, and we remained extremely close until he passed away in 2001.

So given a chance to take a Sunday afternoon drive through Quantico, I jumped at it; and so many good memories of those days flooded over me. It made me realize, yet again, what a fine thing it was to have lived on that small base, in a warm and closely knit military family, with a real sense of purpose and a path to service.

Going back to Quantico – if only for an afternoon drive and a few moments of reflection – makes me realize how lucky and happy I was in those days. It made me realize as well that what often underpins a life in the military is the sense of family and community as an anchor in this turbulent world.

Admiral James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander Europe

Maj. Kristi Beckman is the Chief of Social Media for European Command Public Affairs

As social networking or social media becomes commonplace and the youngest to the oldest are chatting on Facebook, Linked In, Twitter and YouTube; one wonders what the next big thing will be.

So far, social media has allowed us to communicate through a two-way fashion not only to our friends and family but to businesses as well. If a day goes by and CNN doesn’t mention Twitter or Facebook, I haven’t seen it!

These are incredible tools to reach people and get unabashed opinions. If your business hasn’t jumped on board the social media train by now, do it quick! I can go to any of my favorite companies and put my two-sense in which is a fantastic tool for businesses to gather feedback and do what is called “crowd-sourcing.” If you’re interested, check out my boss’ blog on this. We are looking into this here as a great tool to aid us in the future.

We’re very active in social media here at European Command not only because we understand the importance and reap the benefits but also because our commander gets it. Admiral Stavridis maintains his own Facebook page, blog, and Twitter accounts. He is out there in the cyber realm communicating. As a matter of fact, on Twitter yesterday I had to laugh because one of the Admiral’s followers tweeted him, “Please tell me you have a business card that says, ‘Supreme Allied Commander Europe!’” Too funny!

And now that the Department of Defense has said to open the social networking services on government computers, we are going to start doing so much more that involves not just the public affairs office and the senior leaders, but the troops as well.

We want to bring in blogs from troops throughout our partner nation countries who are working alongside the Latvians, Moldovians, Macedonians, etc. Did you read about the U.S. troops marching in Red Square alongside the Russians? Talk about Stronger Together. Those were incredible images and stories and I’m just sorry I couldn’t be there personally.

So, what’s next? Where do you think the social networking arena will take us? We’re always striving to stay up to date with the latest in the social media realm, so help us out! It’s a social thing!

Just back from Romania and Bulgaria, two countries that truly support U.S. and NATO efforts around the world. One thing we talked about was the cyber world and the implications for all of our nations.

We talked about the big national issues – the possibility of cyber attack, how to defend, what constitutes an attack, how all of this fits under the NATO treaty.

But what really hit home in my discussions was mentioning my own personal experiences in the rough waters of the cyber seas recently.

It’s no secret that I’m a strong advocate for communication and engagement in both traditional (person-to-person) and electronic forums (such as my Facebook page and this blog). But there is a price to be paid for such active engagement, as I recently found out.

It seems that my identity, and that of my daughter, have been used in a scam – not uncommon at that.

Basically, the scam architects contact victims by email – acting as me – to secure personal trainer or in this case “Pilates yoga” services on behalf of my daughter.

Anyone who responds to this bait is asked to cash a check in return for the services. At the last minute, the check is written for more than the purchase price because of alleged oversight or mistake, and the victim is asked to wire back the difference. The checks are counterfeit, but sometimes good enough to be initially accepted by a bank. When the check eventually bounces, the victim finds him or herself still liable for the amount wired back to the scammer.

You’ll recall that I recently wrote quite a bit on The Cyber Sea and the need for protocols and procedures to govern this space. What’s interesting in the case I’ve described above is that there doesn’t appear to be any single place to turn for help.

Because it is almost impossible to identify the perpetrators, this case falls outside the purview of military investigators. The Better Business Bureau and the International Chamber of Commerce can be informed, but the likelihood of resolution is slim.

The Federal Trade Commission can also be informed; they assert that spam and phishing messages will be “stored in a database law enforcement agencies use in their investigations.” In the end, the best thing to do is inform all of your cyber friends to be “on guard,” and that’s what I’m doing.

You might think that this experience has deterred me from maintaining such an active online presence, but that isn’t the case at all. I hate the idea of someone using my name to cheat good people, but withdrawing from these forums doesn’t solve the problem.

In the end, I’m comfortable with the risk I assume in being active and outspoken, as I strongly believe that the benefit of “getting the word out” and interacting in these media far outweighs the costs.

Cyber issues are both personal and national; yet in the end, they merge into a range of vulnerability. We need to develop the rules of the road in this cyber sea in order to protect us all.

Admiral James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander Europe

We’re scrambling at the moment to figure out a way back to Europe, as an enormous cloud of volcanic ash has closed many of the airports in the region. It makes me realize, again, how valuable time is for all of us. In the end, it is the most important resource we have.

Someone asked me the other day at a meeting, “Admiral, you travel so much and do a lot of writing in addition to all the other things you have going on. How do you manage your time?” A pretty good question and it is actually something I’ve given a great deal of thought to over the years.

First of all, I’ve always tried hard to manage my time carefully, and to use small bits of time to chip away at important things. If you wait until you have six hours to sit down and write an article, the odds are that you’ll never find the time. But if you write a page or a paragraph here and there – while on an airplane or in a car ride – eventually you’ll have a good piece. Do that in an organized way over a year, and you’ll have a book. What seems like a big commitment in time is so often just a series of small steps.

Second, I try to budget my time in big strokes. I learned this from former Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Vern Clark, who is a disciplined and focused manager as well as a strong leader. He always talked about dividing your time into the three big things you do – in my case, I’ve generally broken it down into five:

• People. No surprise this is at the top of the list, and I think it is the most important thing I do every day. It spans the gamut from counseling and guiding my team, to recruiting new talented people, to focusing on quality of life issues. I get a lot of help, of course, from my personnel experts and my Senior Enlisted Leaders, but in the end, I’d put this at the top of any leader’s time budget. For me, I try to invest about 25 percent of the time on my people.


• Learning. One of the key skills any leader must have is the ability to constantly learn. Like most people running big organizations, I take in enormous amounts of information and try hard to absorb the important details as well as understand the strategic “big picture” that confronts my two commands. I think it is important as well to invest in learning languages, so I typically spend an hour each day studying a language –Spanish, French, and Portuguese are my focus at the moment. This also includes time to read, both non-fiction and fiction books – in other words to get up above the day-to-day intelligence and staff reports, as important as they are. I try to get through about 50 novels and 50 non-fiction books each year, roughly two books per week. Lots of time on airplanes helps out! This is an area that absorbs about 25 percent of my time.


• Messaging. A big part of what I do is strategic communication. In this, I include the roughly 100 speeches and presentations I do each year, from think tanks to town halls, from testifying in front of Congress to briefing the North Atlantic Council. I also try to write about five articles each year for publication, focusing on a wide variety of journals and media outlets. My work on social networking sites, this blog, and other forms of outreach and communication come into this segment of my time budget, which is about 25 percent.


• Operations. My job as SACEUR is essentially the Operations Officer for NATO; and of course in my U.S. European Command hat we are constantly conducting operations around the region. It therefore stands to reason that I’d spend a fair amount of time in this area. This really consists of briefings, meetings, and actually engagement in the conduct of operations. While this varies from time-to-time, it normally takes up about 15 percent of my time.


• Innovation. I try very hard to block out time to work on innovative ideas. This includes spending time just thinking and writing about new ways of doing things, from how we process information to creating new centers for everything from counter-narcotics to disposal of dangerous ordnance. In the end, if I am enslaved by the process of the day-to-day – as important as it is – I think I’m missing the chance to move my enterprise in a dramatic way forward. This uses up the final 10 percent of the disposal time.

Obviously, what I don’t include in the time above is my family, friends, and work-outs – I’m talking about budgeting the *disposable* time available. In everything, balance is key, and anyone who knows me is aware I find time for leave, family time and physical fitness; perhaps not as much as I would always like, but in general I think I am “in balance” on that side of the ledger.

The final point I would make about time management is simple but often overlooked: I measure how I’m doing on my time budget. In other words, every month or so, I’ll review the schedule with the team and we’ll try to ensure that we’re hitting the gates above. Some months we’ll miss the target because a big operation will eat up an inordinate amount of time; other months we’ll pretty much be on target. But the key is that by measuring how we’re doing, I’m able to maintain some accountability to myself for the really big ticket items (like innovation) that can easily be swept away.

So as we’re held up in Washington at the moment awaiting the skies over Europe to clear, I have a little extra time on my hands – time for some messaging, i.e. writing this post to my blog!

Admiral James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander Europe

As promised in February, welcome to another edition of LOGEX 10. This month’s events find me at the National Support Element (NSE) & Logistics Functional Area Services (LOGFAS) workshop in the Czech Republic, which is the second in a series of five workshops designed for each participating nation in this year’s exercise.

Warrant Officer Martin Turner (RAF), Allied Command Transformation, provides instruction on LOGFAS.

The first workshop was in Poland last month, so Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania will follow in the coming weeks/months. The purpose of the workshop is to develop NATO national Detailed Deployment Plans (DDPs) for use at the Final Reception, Staging and Onward Movement (RSOM) Workshop in July. These workshops familiarize the participants with roles and responsibilities that they will encounter as members of a deployed NATO staff such as Deployment Contracting, RSOM, and the overall LOGFAS system; which is a term for a suite of NATO supply and transportation systems, and used as common planning tools during NATO-led operations. Make sense…?

These workshops are efficiently ran by Mr. Pete Venoit, USJFCOM J7 Exercise Director, who has a small team of subject matter experts from Allied Command Transformation (ACT) and the NATO School in Oberammergau, Germany who provide instruction that prepares students to produce the products required for execution. The DDP produced here will be consolidated with the other four participating nations and refined during the final workshop in July. The final product will be agreed upon and utilized during the exercise execution in September of this year.

Czech Republic NSE/LOGFAS Workshop Attendees, April 12-16, 2010.

Workshops are typically designed to be a bi-lateral effort between the U.S. and the participating nation, but it is also a great opportunity for our friends in NATO and Partnership for Peace (PfP) nations to observe these events to see how they are designed and benefit MOD General Staff and Joint Staff functions. We are fortunate to have with us this week MAJ Velimir Obradovic from Montenegro, LTC Damir “Dado” Radocaj from Croatia, and LTC Pete Williams from the United Kingdom. The goals of observer nations are to either learn more about how the training program is designed so they may one day participate or host, or observe the finer details of the course so that they may develop their own exercise. For example, Montenegro is currently scheduled to host LOGEX 12, Croatia is looking to eventually establish a similar LOGEX –type event, and the UK is showing great interest in becoming a mentor nation within the LOGEX series. So there’s lots of goodness here and many more opportunities ahead.

I must admit that the historic and majestic landscape of Prague frequently lures me to the window, and the fact that five of the “1,000 places to see before you die” are in Prague, makes me even more intrigued, but I digress. I would be remiss if I did not say how pleased we are with our colleagues and gracious host from the Czech Republic MOD. LTC Karel Zapletal is doing a marvelous job at orchestrating these events, so our hats are off to him and his team.

That just about does it for the Czech Republic workshop. I will be in Bulgaria the week of April 19-23 for another workshop, and as all workshops are designed the same; this will be my last update until July for the Final Workshop in Romania. Until then…

Nazdravi!
MAJ Matt Williams
U.S. European Command Logistics Directorate (ECJ4)

Headed home over the South Pacific after four days in Australia and New Zealand, strong allies and partners in Afghanistan as part of our 45-nation International Security Force – it was an excellent visit.

Maoris\' greet me with a traditional Wero challenge (Official NATO photo by MC2 Stefanie Antosh)

I was greeted in New Zealand by a traditional Maori "wero” or challenge and visited their evocative War Memorial with a statue of a mother and two young children. In Australia, I walked through their War Memorial and associated museum seeing panel after panel carved with the names of the fallen. These are nations that know conflict and war all too well.

As I reflect on our discussions, I am struck by the breadth of what the Kiwis and Aussies are doing across the spectrum of counter-insurgency work. The Australians have sent over 1,500 troops, a significant contribution for a nation with a population of just over 20 million; the New Zealanders have 220 people from a population base of just over 4 million.

In both cases, the men and women from Oceania are doing demanding special operations, training the Afghan security forces, flying aircraft in support of the challenging logistics tail, and engaging in the important work of the Provincial Reconstruction Teams.

In a talk I gave at the Australian Defense Force Academy, I highlighted the work of Corporal Brett Corrigan at the Provincial Reconstruction Team in training young Afghan men as carpenters. What an evocative image for what we must do in Afghanistan: create a generation of builders instead of a generation of bombers.

I also had a photograph of Captain Myles Conquest (what a perfect name!), of the Australian Army, who is part of the embedded partnering and training team with one of the Afghanistan Kandaks (battalions) operating in Uruzgan province. At the end of the day, the "success strategy” in Afghanistan will be based on our ability to train the Afghan security forces so we can draw down our own troops.

General Jerry Mateparae and I pose for a photo from the top of Mount Victoria, Wellington, New Zealand. (Official NATO photo by MC2 Stefanie Antosh)

The trip also included high level meetings with the Chiefs of Defense, General Jerry Mateparae of New Zealand and General Angus Houston of Australia. Both are the kind of straightforward yet intellectual leaders who truly understand what we seek to do in Afghanistan, where we cannot "kill our way to victory.” We found ourselves in seamless alignment on the need to focus on strategic communications, putting the Afghan people at the center of gravity, getting the civil-military balance right, and – above all – training the Afghan Security Forces.

As I look at all that is unfolding in Afghanistan, I am increasingly convinced we will be successful. The economy is beginning to click, there is great potential for resources based on strategic minerals, the body politic increasingly understands the responsibilities the international community expects it to take in fighting corruption and – from our perspective on the military side – we have stopped the Taliban momentum with the Marjah campaign.

Air Chief Marshal Houston presents me with a gift during my visit. (Official NATO photo by MC2 Stefanie Antosh)

As the spring and summer unfold, and the "clear, hold, build, and transition” strategy takes root in Kandahar and other parts of Afghanistan, I am cautiously optimistic that we will see momentum build. This will create the conditions for reconciliation and reintegration, led by the Afghans, to bring some of their "disaffected brothers” in from the cold. The upcoming international conference in Kabul itself and the Afghan "Peace Jirga” will contribute.

Certainly there will be hard days ahead, with casualties and setbacks, but on the whole I believe we are moving forward in Afghanistan. But these two nations are no strangers to challenges – from Gallipoli to the Pacific campaigns of World War II to the Cold War and through today's efforts, these are the kind of friends to have at our side. Having allies and partners like Australia and New Zealand will make all the difference.

Admiral James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander Europe

Official portrait of GEN Franciszek Gagor, Chief of Defense of the Polish Armed Forces.

I'm flying over the deep blue of the southern Pacific Ocean -- enroute to New Zealand and Australia for security discussions about Afghanistan -- and I've just learned of the death of Polish General and Chief of Defense Franciszek Gagor, along with the President of Poland and much of the senior leadership.

As I look down over the white caps of the sea, I think of my friend and the sudden nature of his death in a plane crash enroute to a memorial gathering near Smolensk, Russia in remembrance of 70th anniversary of the Katyn Massacre. What a tragic loss for his family, for Poland, and for the cause of security in the world.

Franciszek lived a full and meaningful life, and all of us at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe mourn his loss. He was not only a leader in his nation's military, but also a strong and highly respected voice in the councils of NATO.

I am greeted to Warsaw by the Polish Chairman of Defense General Franciszek Gagor in December of 2009.

He spoke fluent and idiomatic English, along with French and Russian and his native Polish of course. General Gagor was a powerful thinker, a diplomatic statesman, and a superb military leader. He had attended the National Defense University in the U.S. and we often spoke of the vital importance of education for our senior officers. He published many thoughtful
articles and a well regarded book on peacekeeping operations, in which he was widely respexcted as an expert.

Franciszek led much of the preparations for Poland's entry into NATO, and had served as a General officer since being promoted to Brigadier back in 1997. He was among the senior Chief's of Defense in the Alliance, and when he spoke in council, everyone listened closely.

Laura and I had a lovely visit with him and his wife Lucy just a few months ago in Warsaw, a week or so before Christmas. We walked the streets of the restored city, and his sense of history and the irony of it all was clear and deep. I'll always remember a light snow falling and thinking how lucky I was to know him -- a man of conviction, intelligence, and blessed with a fine sense of humor.

General Franciszek Gagor, Chairman of Defense of Poland, and I conduct a press conference in Warsaw.

The next day, we drank Bison vodka and sat in front of a fireplace after a formal dinner and he reflected on the passages of his life and career, from the post-war history of his beloved Poland to the Warsaw Pact and on to his role today as a leader in NATO. Personally, I deeply valued his advice on topics ranging from Afghanistan to the Balkans to NATO reform and the emerging strategic concept.

Franciszek Gagor represented the best of our senior military, and above my fireplace at home is the Polish cavalry sabre he gave me during our visit. I'll treasure it, as I do the memories of this great friend.

Admiral James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander Europe

From strategic to sensitive, the military chaplaincy prepares its clergy to advise commanders and provide spiritual counsel in time of contingency operations.

As the Command Chaplain for the U.S. European Command, I oversee several chaplaincy programs designed to educate, integrate, and build partnerships with Ministry of Defense chaplains in the European Command Area of Responsibility.

International Military Chiefs of Chaplains (IMCCC) 2010 delegates in front of the Centro Superior de Estudios de la Defensa Nacional (CESEDEN).

This past February, 125 chaplains from 40 countries gathered in Madrid for the annual International Military Chief of Chaplain’s Conference. The conference theme was: “The Religious Fact and Armed Forces: Liberty and Diversity.” Intellectuals from Spain’s Ministry of Defense and civilian academia lectured on topics from Religion, Civil Society and Culture to the Military Chaplain and International Humanitarian Rights. The conference was closed with an inspirational message on the relationship between the operational commander and his chaplain by Brigadier General Joe E. Ramirez, Jr., U.S. European Command Deputy Director for Plans and Policy.

Yet to come: Operational commanders have a variety of unique missions, as do their chaplains. However, one thing we all have in common is the need to respect one another’s religious beliefs. The NATO/Partnership for Peace Chaplains Operation Course, designed to train ordained military clergy how to complement and support one another on the battlefield, was built from a need expressed by members of the 2001 International Chief of Chaplains Conference.

The objective of this program is to educate NATO and Partner military Chaplains on issues affecting their ability to perform cooperative ministry and religious advisory duties in a combined joint theatre of operations. This will include an examination of ethics and reconciliatory techniques to enable Chaplains to support the commander and the mission.

I am having discussions with Ukranian Chaplains.

The five day training offers 12 lecture style topics that provides an insight into the Chaplains’ role as an advisor to the Command and will teach techniques required when working with Non-Government Organizations and in Peace Support Operations. ‘Chaplains in a Muslim Country’ and ‘Laws of Land Warfare’ are new additions to this year’s curriculum. CAPT James R. Sharrett, USNR, Deputy Command Chaplain, U.S. European Command is the liaison and course manager at the NATO School, located in Oberammergau, Germany.

NATO School information about this event has been distributed to all EUCOM partner military chiefs of chaplains. Registration is in process for the May 17-21, 2010 course. The history of the NATO chaplain course can be traced back to the 2001 International Chief of Chaplains Conference.

These annual conferences offer excellent opportunities to build on existing relationships with traditional allies as well as establishing new friendships with other partner nations in order to build their capacity for chaplaincies that can be voices for good governance, human rights, justice, and religious freedom.

Chaplain (Colonel) Brian Van Sickle, USAF
U.S. European Command Chaplain

I spent two days in the Balkans last week, primarily focused on Kosovo, where NATO continues to deploy about 10,000 troops in support of UN resolutions to provide security and stability. The good news is that we are down from several times that number a few years ago, and in the nine months I’ve been Supreme Allied Commander Europe, we’ve been able to reduce from 15,000 – real progress.

Here I am posing with Bishop Theodosije at the Decani Monastery in Kosovo.

The two days I spent there last week were focused on travel around the entire country – mostly by Blackhawk helicopters – to see some of the most sensitive cultural sites in the Balkans. Of particular note was the monastery at Decani, built in the 1200s by the Serbian Orthodox Church and led today by Bishop Theodosije, a spiritual leader of 30 monks who continue to “tend their gardens” at this United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Cultural site. It is protected by NATO forces, and we will continue to ensure it is preserved.

I also had visits with the President of Kosovo, Fatmir Sejdiu, and the Prime Minister, Hashim Thaçi. I learned a great deal from them, as we discussed a wide variety of topics of mutual interest, fom the security situation in Kosovo to the economy. Perhaps the greatest challenge to Kosovo is an unemployment rate of about 40 percent, and developing a stronger economy was very much on the minds of all the Kosovar leadership with whom I spoke.

The good cooperation between NATO, the EU, and the Kosovo Police and Security Forces has been noteworthy. I had a chance to observe a very impressive exercise conducted between the three entities against a mock “riot.” The three layers of response (Kosovo Police, EU, and NATO) reacted properly and smoothly. It is clear that coordination between the local forces and the two external agencies are going well, and we’ll continue to improve on it.

Kosovo President, Fatmir Sejdiu, and I got the chance to sit down and talk.

There is certainly plenty of controversy in the Balkans today, but when I think back a decade ago – massacres, murders, rapes, torture, war across borders – there has been enormous progress. Both Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo were sites of enormous anguish and disagreement, with hundreds of thousands of people dying in attempts at ethnic cleansing. Today, there is still disagreement about borders and the future, but very few are advocating violence as an approach. The Balkans stands as an example of the international community’s ability (including NATO) to bring and enforce peace solutions to disagreements. Much progress has been made, and I’m proud to be part of ensuring we don’t fall back.

As I flew over Kosovo's green fields, busy mines, and small houses, I reflected on the country's future. In the course of preparing for my visit, I read a remarkable short book, “The Hemingway Book Club of Kosovo,” by Paula Huntley, where she shares her experience as an American teacher who taught English (using, among other books, “The Old Man and the Sea”) to young Kosovars from 2000-2001. In the end, the future of any place is all about young people with their energy, enthusiasm, and desire to improve the world. In that sense, I have high hopes for Kosovo.

Admiral James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander Europe

Below is an interview I did during the visit. Thanks for watching and please comment!

On Nov. 25, 2009 I proposed in these spaces an idea of linking the leadership of U.S. European Command with the senior U.S. leaders based in Brussels, the “Capital of Europe.” Then I suggested a meeting involving America’s geographic military command in Europe - EUCOM, with the 3 U.S. Ambassadors representing America to Belgium, NATO and the European Union. I’m happy to report that that idea materialized into a productive, informative visit March 19, 2010.

The EUCOM staff, led by LTG John Gardner, the military Deputy Commander, and involving all Joint Directorate Chiefs, as well as interagency representatives posted to EUCOM from the Department of State, Department of Treasury, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), were hosted at NATO Headquarters by the three U.S. Ambassadors based in Brussels; AMB Howard Gutman, the bilateral ambassador to Belgium, AMB Ivo H. Daalder, the Ambassador to NATO, and AMB William Kennard, recently appointed U.S. Ambassador to the European Union. Also present and co-hosting was Vice Adm. Richard Gallagher, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) representative at the U.S. Military Delegation to NATO.

AMB Gutman noted, “Such a gathering of EUCOM, NATO, EU and a bilateral Ambassador is invaluable.” Vice Adm. Gallagher mentioned that “there is probably a NATO connection to all that EUCOM does” and AMB Daalder reminded us all of the value of the get-together; “Admiral Stavridis should not be the only one at EUCOM that understands the importance of a NATO-EUCOM relationship.”

AMB Kennard remarked that the nations comprising the EU produce ¼ of the world’s GDP, making it an extremely important partner to America, and that it is U.S. Government policy to “encourage European integration” and to encourage the EU’s external focus in security affairs.

The 3 Ambassadors and members of their staffs engaged the EUCOM leaders throughout a full day and exposed them as well to European leaders from both the EU and NATO. Both organizations, for example, touted the importance of a “Comprehensive Approach” in the conduct of security operations.

In that regard, it was mentioned that U.S. European Command, with its focus on a “Whole of Government Approach” and Admiral Stavridis’ focus on partnering with the U.S. interagency, may actually be a good model for both the EU and NATO.

EUCOM after all, through its recently established “J9-Interagency Partnering Directorate,” is endeavoring daily to integrate interagency inputs and ideas to more effectively accomplish its mission in Europe and Eurasia.

Mike Anderson
Deputy Director, J9-Interagency Partnering Directorate

How do we do social media at U.S. European Command? My VLog is here to help answer that question, as well as tell you what the troops in Afghanistan are doing at the NATO Training Mission - Afghanistan. This is my first VLog so I hope you enjoy it and please share your thoughts ... And don't forget: It's a social thing, so let's socialize!

I’m on Capitol Hill next week to update Congress on the successes and challenges of U.S. European Command and the security environment in Europe. As you’d expect, this is a BIG deal for us, and we’ve been preparing for months.

Although I am called to testify as a U.S. military officer, we will of course touch upon the Alliance and my role as Supreme Allied Commander. I’ll be testifying along with my friends and colleagues GEN Jim Mattis of U.S. Joint Forces Command and GEN Kip Ward of U.S. Africa Command.

One of the big things I plan to emphasize is the importance of international and interagency partnering to address the security challenges we collectively face. Congress of course provides us with the resources and authorities through which we help build the capacity of our partners and allies. This is essential, as our partners and allies help us meet near-term requirements in Afghanistan, as well as the longer-term requirements for our theater security and the security of our homeland.

A couple of examples of “building partnership capacity” in action may be helpful to underscore the point in more tangible terms. (I deliberately use the word “partnership”– rather than “partner” – to emphasize the fact that we get so much out of these interactions). In Albania, for example, we have been able to conduct security sector reform assessments, an inter-agency effort critical to integrating Balkan countries in the European community.

Or another example: Our Marines are conducting pre-deployment training in the Republic of Georgia, which will result in Georgian forces deployed to Afghanistan. As capabilities improve, Georgian forces are expected to be able to operate independently and eventually stand up a training program to prepare future Georgian forces for deployment.

We’ll certainly talk about Afghanistan in some depth, given my responsibilities on the EUCOM side with preparing our forces for forward deployment; and on the NATO side as the strategic commander for NATO operations which of course include Afghanistan.

And we’ll no doubt cover a host of other topics, as well, ranging from support to U.S. service members and families in Europe to Russia to missile defense.

I always look forward to the chance to interact with Congress and answer their well researched and frequently challenging questions. I have many friends on the Hill, both on the staffs and among the members themselves and it is also enjoyable to catch up with them during the pre-hearing “calls” on the members.

I suspect the Pentagon Channel and/or C-SPAN will cover the hearings if you want to watch the testimony in “real time”. Alternatively, we’ll get it posted on our website afterwards so you can catch it.

I’ll be sure to let you know how it goes!

Adm. Jim Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander Europe

If you read this blog regularly, you know I am committed to engaging actively and personally around the region to futher our shared security objectives. Last week was yet another busy week of travel in Europe.

Attending a command brief hosted by Lt. Gen. Phillipe Stoltz, commander Joint Command Lisbon.

First up -- a visit to Lisbon, Portugal, where one of my three large “Joint Force Command” headquarters is located. I spent time with my superb French three-star commander, Lt. Gen. Philippe Stoltz. A paratrooper who runs eight miles to and from work every day, Philippe laid out a coherent vision for the future of Joint Command Lisbon that includes a focus on Africa, counter-piracy, and expeditionary activity.

I also spent some time with the senior staff of the EU counter-narcotic center known as the Maritime Analysis and Operations Center, established in 2007. We are looking for synergies between some of the activities of U.S. European Command and the Center in the effort to reduce the movement of narcotics through the Atlantic and the Mediterranean.

Finally, I connected with my good friend, the Chief of Defense of Portugal, Gen. Luis Pinto. We talked about the Portuguese contributions in Afghanistan and the need for more trainers there, as well as overall NATO issues.

After Lisbon, I moved on to Madrid for talks with the Spanish Minister of Defense Carme Chacon and Chief of Defense Gen. Julio Rodriguez. Both are intellectually vibrant leaders with an excellent focus on Afghanistan and Spain’s strong contributions to the mission. The Minister traveled to Afghanistan when first appointed to visit her soldiers, and is among the most articulate and dedicated civilian leaders in Europe.

I met with His Majesty the King of Spain, Juan Carlos I.

Another highlight was a visit with King Juan Carlos of Spain, on the anniversary when he stood up to an attempted coup on Feb. 23, 1981 and saved democracy in Spain. A former Olympic sailor, he has a beautiful collection of silver ships in his office, something any Admiral would enjoy. His Majesty had a comprehensive grasp on world affairs, and I particularly benefited from his views on Latin America, hearkening back to my time as Commander of U.S. Southern Command.

While in Spain, I also saw a superb example of allied partnership: Moron Air Base, near Seville in southern Spain. On a large and well-supported Spanish base, U.S. aviators are allowed to operate in conjunction with their Spanish hosts in a seamless fashion. The base is an excellent logistic hub with benefits for both nations. I also saw my Spanish/NATO aviators on strip alert in their new Eurofighter aircraft– very impressive.

I met with General Sir Nick Houghton, the Deputy Chief of Defence at the Ministry of Defence in London, during an office call.

I concluded the week with two days in London, including meetings with Gen. Sir Nick Houghton, the Deputy Chief of Defense (Sir Jock Stirrup, the Chief, was in Afghanistan) and Simon McDonald, the Foreign Policy and Defense Advisor at Number 10 Downing Street. We discussed the ongoing and successful Marjah Operation, the future of reconciliation in Afghanistan, and command and control arrangements within the NATO and coalition forces there.

While in London I also made my first visit to NATO's Maritime HQ based at Northwood. Admiral Sir Trevor Soar, Northwood's commander, updated me on NATO's maritime counter piracy mission Operation Ocean Shield, which sees NATO warships patrolling the waters off the Horn of Africa.

Lisbon, Madrid, Seville, and London – a fast moving week, but plenty of opportunity to connect with the leadership around the circuit. Personal contact trumps all forms of communications, and this week proved it.

Adm. James Stavridis

Commander, U.S. European Command and

Supreme Allied Commander Europe

Maj. Kristi Beckman is the Chief of Social Media for European Command Public Affairs

This is Day 6 for the EUCOM social media team training in Kabul, Afghanistan and it's one that I'll remember for a long time to come.

I was awakened around 6:30 a.m. by an explosion that literally rocked our entire encampment. My normal routine of listening for the alarm and hitting the snooze button to wake up peacefully was more of a split-second jump out of bed with my heart pounding uncontrollably.

While so many are used to this over here, this is my first experience. And I don’t care who you are, this sound will chill you to the bone. There was another smaller explosion and small arms fire exchange continued for more than an hour but finally ceased.

So far the reports are that there was a vehicle explosion and 2-3 suicide bombers who blew themselves up in downtown Kabul and there are at least 10 dead and more than 30 wounded. Click here for the Times Online piece for a bit more detail.

This mission over here is so important and now more than ever as these guys are literally building institutions and training the Afghans to teach themselves and protect themselves. And the Afghan people here are really amazing and want so much to turn this country around. You can see it in their eyes and when you talk to them. They just want to have normal lives and raise a family.

The fact that some maniac over here can strap on a bomb and ride a bike or drive a car into a crowded area and take the lives of those around him just sickens me to no end. I will never understand the purpose of this…terrorizing and murdering innocent men, women and children…never.

If you’re reading this from the states or from Europe or somewhere else around the globe where you get up in the morning in your house or apartment and you have running water, food, clothes on your back, a family to love, a job to earn a living, and peace of mind that you will not die today walking to the market, be very thankful…please.

And more than anything PLEASE support our troops over here who are working so hard to make a difference in Afghanistan.

The NTM-A team will keep you posted on the accomplishments AND struggles through their NTM-A Web site blogs, news stories and social media sites. Follow them and support them as they are your sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, Moms and Dads who are away from their peace and freedom and really need your support in order to make a difference!

It is no secret that EUCOM remains committed to enduring partnerships and increased interoperability with NATO.... look at any Directors calendar and you'll probably notice how busy we all are towards that commitment.  This year marks the third EUCOM-led logistics exercise, which is a Command Post Exercise (CPX) that is based on NATO doctrine which uses a multinational approach in supporting deployed forces in NATO-led out of area operations, and easily follows EUCOM's them of "Stronger Together."   

Anticipation and excitement are growing as efforts are in full swing now for LOGEX 10 that will be conducted September 6-17, 2010, at Mihail Kogalniceanu (MK) Air Base, Romania.  I am pleasantly surprised to see that this year's exercise has grown from three nations last year to five nations this year, and include participants from Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic.  In fact, interest is also peaking for observer nations who also recognize the importance and strategic value of conducting multinational operations.  Since the Initial Planning Conference in September 2009, we have doubled our list of observer nations and I receive calls every so often from other Nations asking how they can become involved or contribute.  I'm already looking forward to the partnership opportunities in LOGEX 11 with Ukraine and Georgia.   

Participants at the LOGEX 2010 Mid Planning Conference in Sophia, Bulgaria.

As part of the LOGEX 10 Series, our good friends in Bulgaria hosted the Mid Planning Conference (MPC) in Sofia February 22-26 with a small contingent of representatives from the five nations above.  Attendees discussed the details of execution in September and came to new agreements that were codified in a newly signed Exercise Specification  (EXSPEC) Document. I've quickly learned that if a single detail or requirement is not captured in the EXSPEC, it won't happen without a lot of extra coordination.  As an added feature, the MPC also included the Main Event List / Main Incident List (MEL/MIL) Development Workshop.  For the non LOGEX-series enthusiasts, this is equates to Master Event Scenario List (MESL) development/scripting as used in U.S. exercise planning control groups.  The next series of events will consists of independent country workshops designed to develop the logistics and transportation annexes of the NATO Operational Plan (OPLAN) that will be used to conduct the exercise. 

By all accounts, the MPC was a great success and everyone worked hard to include each and every detail possible....but time will tell, however there is much, much more to accomplish because we have eight more events to conduct prior to execution.  My special thanks to LTC Chavdar Ivanov and his team from the Bulgarian MOD for hosting the MPC, and coordinating the multitude of events that took place during the week.  As we move forward in the LOGEX series and continue to share ideas and experiences, it will become evident that the more we work together... the stronger together we become.  

See you at the workshops.

MAJ Matt Williams
U.S. European Command Logistics

Maj. Kristi Beckman is the Chief of Social Media for European Command Public Affairs

I'm not blogging from Stuttgart, Germany today. Instead, I've made a little jaunt to Afghanistan to help out NATO Training Mission – Afghanistan with their social media strategy.

They’ve got a fantastic public affairs team and with the direction of NTM-A Commander Lt. Gen. William Caldwell, they've set up a new Web site and are pushing hard to get their story told through the social media platforms. Of course the key as we all know, to social media, is two-way communication and that is where we’ll be working.

Ever heard of NTM-A? It's an organization that lives and breathes to generate and reform the Afghanistan National Security Forces. The Afghan police and Army are in the process of trying to stand on their own and NTM-A is teaching them everything from how to do public affairs to how to provide security and stability.

Seems to me they’ve got a very tough but rewarding mission and right now, I’m excited to be part of it for the short time I’m here.

The U.S. military now understands the importance of the ever-increasing social media realm and we are doing everything possible to understand how to socialize our stories accurately and quickly and of course in a more conversational way that we all relate to.

For the social media team here, conveying this mission and receiving feedback from their fans and followers in the social media realm, I’d like to get feedback from you on what you think they should focus on.

You can check out their social media hub Web site, their Facebook and You tube pages.

So, down and dirty now...if you become their follower or fan, what do you want to see and hear about the most from this team in Afghanistan? And what do you NOT want to see or hear about?

And so began the Afghan-NATO offensive into Helmad province, known as Operation Moshtarak – which translates roughly as “Together.” We are focusing on the area around a town called Marjah, where there has historically been a great deal of insurgent activity and heroin production.

Soldiers from six nations gather to hear the three senior officers involved in commanding Operation Moshtarak, Brigadier James Cowan; Commander 11 Light Brigade (UK); Brigadier General Moyaiyodin Ghori, Commanding Officer 3rd Brigade Afghan National Army; and Colonel Shirin Shah Afghan National Civil Order Police. Images by: SSgt Mark Jones (British Army)

There are about 10,000 troops directly involved, including about 5,000 Afghan Army and Police, and about 5,000 NATO forces – U.S., British, Danish, and Estonians – under tactical command of 2-star British General, Nick Carter and Afghan 1-star Shir Mohammad.

We are working very hard (and thus far have been successful) in minimizing civilian casualties. This has been at the heart of our strategy since last summer, and is different than any of the large operations that were conducted over the previous years in Afghanistan.

To accomplish this, we have been in extensive consultation with the people of the area – notably through Shuras and other local processes – and have truly listened to them. We seek to prevent any civilian casualties and in return have received a great deal of support.

At Camp Bastion the six nations involved in Operation Moshtarak are conducting battle preparations.

Tragically, while troops were in contact with insurgents Sunday, two rockets from a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launched at insurgents firing upon Afghan and ISAF forces impacted approximately 300 meters off their intended target, killing 12 civilians in Nad Ali district, Helmand province. We deeply regret this tragic loss of life and will ensure we do all we can to avoid future incidents. The use of the HIMARS has been suspended until a thorough review of this incident has been conducted.

It is important also to know that this is the first Afghan-led operation of this scale. It was fully briefed to President Karzai by his military and police leadership and approved by him. They have real ownership and are partnering with us in approximately a 1:1 ratio of forces.

It is crucial to know that the military phase of this is NOT the decisive part – it is the introduction of governance and the follow-on economic activity that will be key. Again, that will be Afghan led but supported by the rest of the coalition. In that sense, the military part is not the “main event,” but rather the enabling function.

As Stan told me, and I agree fully, “this is only a step on a long road - and there will be twists, turns, and plenty of improvised explosive devices along the way.” I couldn’t agree more. The key will be to be steady in the four things upon which we’ve focused for months now:

- Protecting and partnering with the Afghan people

- Effectively communicating, both in Afghanistan and our nations

- Balancing civilian and military efforts

- Training and empowering the Afghan security forces

It is clearly “early days” in this operation, but as a model for how we seek to conduct operations, it is off to a good start.

Adm. James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander Europe

Maj. Kristi Beckman is the Chief of Social Media for European Command Public Affairs

As important as social media has become in the world, it is playing an ever-increasing role in the U.S. military. I’d like to highlight a great example from the International Security Assistance Force.

There are a couple of military public affairs troops who have begun a 30-day adventure through Afghanistan with the hopes of capturing some great examples of our brave U.S. and coalition men and women serving in Afghanistan.

Their story is entitled, "30 Days Through Afghanistan."  They have a great Web site which is their social media hub, so to speak, and you can follow them on Facebook and Twitter. I’m pretty excited to see what they will be able to accomplish. But the key to all of this is that they are able to reach people in the social media realm, so the reach is endless.

Mark Glaser, from PBS' MediaShift, wrote a blog today about this adventure and I was a bit taken back by the first commenter on this blog. The commenter stated that the U.S. military should stay out of the social media realm because it is perceived as nothing more than trying to legitimize U.S. foreign policy.

I, of course, do not agree in the slightest. Social media is merely another tool for our public affairs professionals to tell our stories. But what social media allows is for us to not just TELL our story, but to get feedback on our story. We are able to talk with people and take part in two-way communication. And not to mention, social media allows for the repurposing of the story ten-fold as opposed to hoping the media will spread the word or hoping someone might stop by our Web site and read about it.

There are thousands of amazing people in our U.S. and coalition militaries who deserve to be talked about. They are brave individuals fighting for basic human rights for others and fighting to defend our freedom. Oh, by the way, that freedom includes the freedom to talk in the social media realm and have an opinion!

I’d like to know other’s thoughts on this. Is there anyone else who thinks the U.S. military should stay out of the social media realm?

Just left historic Munich, Germany where I was fortunate to attend and speak at their annual Security Conference.

Senator Lindsay Graham, of South Carolina, myself, and Senator John McCain, of Arizona, at the 46th Munich Security Conference.

What an all star crowd of attendees! There were senior and impressive delegations from around the globe, including all NATO nations, most of the Afghan contributing countries, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Russia, China, India, South Korea, and many others. From the United States, the Congressional delegation included Senators McCain, Lieberman, Graham, Kerry, and Udall, as well as Representatives Sanchez and Harmon. I had the chance to talk with all of them and benefited from their collective wisdom.

Also, I was very happy as always to see two former SACEUR’s “in the house,” General Joe Ralston and General Jim Jones – both of whom took a great deal of time and trouble to give me expert advice as I became the first “Admiral” in this venerable post. General Jones, of course, is currently the National Security Advisor to the President and heads up the executive branch delegation. My good friend, and current U.S. Ambassador to NATO, Ivo Daalder, was also present.

I must also say that my views and thoughts about NATO have been shaped by two superb European officers with whom I serve every day – and both were present – Admiral Giampaolo Di Paola, the Chairman of NATO’s Military Committee; and General Stephan Abrial, the “other Supreme Commander,” in his case of transformation.

Afghan President Karzai speaks during the conference.

There were two speeches that stood out to me. The first was given by Afghan President Karzai. He spoke at length about the possibility of reintegration and reconciliation with more moderate Taliban. Secretary General Rasmussen also delivered an excellent speech focusing on his hopes for positive strategic cooperation with Russia.

There was a great deal of discussion about the NATO Strategic Concept, which is forthcoming, late this fall. I think the key word is “balance.” Life is not an on-and-off switch; it is a rheostat. We must be capable of dialing-in the solutions to the challenges we face – as people, parents, diplomats, or soldiers and sailors.

I think we need to achieve a balance between:

Article V Collective Defense.................Overseas engagement
Hard Power.........................................Soft Power/Humanitarian operations
Conventional threat.............................Emerging threats / NBC / Terrorism

From an operator's perspective, I have been emphasizing several key ideas in terms of the Strategic Concept:

CYBERSPACE. In today’s world, the likelihood of disruption and perhaps attack with a gravity bomb from the wing of an aircraft against one of our member nations is low; but the chance of offensive photons flowing down a fiber optic cable is high. (More on this in my blog next week!)

Ms. Madeleine Albright answers questions during a NATO strategy panel discussion.

COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH. In the end, we will never fully deliver security from the barrel of a gun; not in Afghanistan nor anywhere else. It will come as a combination of the so-called “3 Ds” – Defense, Diplomacy, and Development. I say it is even broader than that, and will require political, economic, cultural, linguistic, military, skills – in simplest terms, combining international, interagency, and private-public approaches. And all must be undergirded by strategic communication.

NATO COOPERATION WITH EU. We should work hard to define a better operational working modality between NATO and the European Union. We need complementary operations, and what is happening in counter-piracy off the horn of Africa is a good example of where we need to go.

TRANSFORMATION. We can and should restructure the operational side of the Alliance to make it more lean and efficient. I’ll leave it to others to decide the Brussels side of the headquarters, or Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, but, I believe we can streamline and reduce command structure from Allied Command Operations. We should not be afraid of that, and we should levereage innovation, new technologies and approaches to make sure this works properly.

I am engaging in conversation at the 46th Munich Security Conference.

Overall, I am a strong believer in the Alliance and I tried to communicate that in Munich. What connects us within NATO is vastly more important than what divides us today, despite the potential for some differences in views.

NATO remains the richest, strongest alliance in history; with $31 Trillion in GDP, 3+ million soldiers and sailors under arms and 80% of them are volunteers. No nation has ever attacked a NATO nation; nor has a NATO nation ever attacked another NATO nation. Not bad for 60 years of age!

The future is complicated, but I’m confident NATO will continue to be a global force for good. To me, that was the message at the Munich Security Conference.

Adm. James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander Europe

The family photograph of delegates at Lancaster House attending the Afghanistan, The London Conference in London, UK Jan. 28, 2010. (Photo by: Geoff Caddick/newsteam.co.uk/Crown Copyright - For editorial purposes only - For further inquiries please contact News Team International)

I'm in California this week to give a couple of talks on NATO, Europe, and cyberspace – all of which have a lot in common. I'll be speaking up north in Monterey, and down south in San Diego. It is always pleasant to return to the west coast where I spent so much of my seagoing career – well over a decade in four assignments at sea. Both of my daughters were born here, as well. California is full of memories.

Yet, at the moment, I am thinking about a superb international event that happened last week: the International London Conference on Afghanistan. Last week, I wrote about my last trip to Afghanistan as we prepared for it. The media has thoroughly covered the conference (here’s a sample of recent coverage, based on an interview with me), and you can watch key presentations online, like this one from Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen’s review of the conference on his video blog. So rather than reiterating what's already been said, I thought I'd share with you some personal thoughts and impressions, and my interpretations of the atmospherics.

First of all, it was held in the historic Lancaster House, literally around the corner from Buckingham Palace. Given the seniority of the delegations, the crush of black SUVs pulling up to the front door was staggering. As I walked into the ornate Victorian building, I felt a real sense of luck to be part of the NATO team led by our Secretary General. As I saw 80 delegations from around the world gather to reaffirm their support for Afghanistan, I was amazed, excited and -- above all else -- honored to play a small part in this essential effort, working with so many smart, dedicated professionals, both in and out of uniform from so many countries.

I was struck by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's sense of resolve. The British, of course, have a long history in Afghanistan and understand it well in all of its challenges and opportunities. The Prime Minister clearly believes in the mission, and was particularly welcoming to who spoke after him.

His Excellency Hamid Karzai, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, at Lancaster House speaking the Afghanistan, The London Conference in London, UK Jan. 28, 2010. (Photo: newsteam.co.uk/Crown Copyright - For editorial purposes only - For further inquiries please contact News Team International)

President Karzai spoke very passionately about his plans for his nation in his second term. While he addressed all aspects of the challenges ahead – governance, corruption, security, economics – I was particularly impressed with his thoughts on reconciliation. I do believe some level of political reintegration of parts of the Taliban will be helpful in resolving the situation in Afghanistan, and it clearly must be led by the Afghans. The President seemed prepared to open that dialogue.

One of my very close friends in Afghanistan is their superb Minister of Defense Abdul Rahim Wardak. He was singularly convincing and moving in his speech about Afghan security forces – including an honest assessment of the challenges in building up to the right level of forces and fully integrating them with the coalition security team. I believe that process is underway and going reasonably well at this point.

In both my remarks and those of General Stan McChrystal who followed me, we spoke of the courage and tenacity of the Afghan security forces, who are sustaining 75% of the casualties in the conflict. They are clearly "in the fight,” and their capabilities are growing. I pointed out the good job they had done repelling attacks in Kabul last week without coalition assistance, as well as the increasingly complex missions they are undertaking, like the special forces raid conducted on January 4th from Afghan-piloted MI-17 helicopters.

We were followed by superb interventions (which is NATO for "presentations”) from a wide variety of nations that properly focused on governance and development, including an address by UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon. Secretary General Rasmussen also spoke very directly and clearly about the commitment of the alliance to this vital undertaking.

Overall, it seemed to me that there was a tangible sense of resolve and unity amongst the participants. Our strategy is clear, and while it will be difficult, there is renewed determination and momentum behind it.

After California, I'll be passing through Belgium en route to Istanbul for the NATO Defense Ministerial and then close out the week in Germany for the Munich Security Conference. The Munich Security Conference is to the international security community what the Oscars is to Hollywood … minus the red carpet, the awards, the movie stars, and the fashion. Everyone will be there, and the conversations will be fascinating. I'll fill you in next week on the details!

Adm. James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe

Attending the ceremony was the Honorable Jan Fischer, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, the Honorable M.D. Martin Barták, Czech Republic Minister of Defense and our U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic, the Honorable Mary Thompson-Jones. Also attending, was a long list of dignitaries and officials I could not keep up with. With any redeployment ceremony the most important in attendance were family members of the 601st soldiers. It was an honor to be the only USAF NCO in the mix and it was a unique experience being treated as a VIP.
 

The VIP treatment included flying in a Czech Republic Air Force Helicopter with the U.S. Ambassador, which included flight attendants serving refreshments. Nearly topping that experience, I also sat one table away from their country's highest ranking military and civilian officials along with U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic during the ceremony.

This type of support/partnership provided to the Czech Republic and their instant recognition of me and LTC Cordero is a perfect example of Admiral Stavridis’ picture of the “Bridge” which represents the enhancement of security, regional stability, and the support of global initiatives.

TSgt Timothy Powell
ECJ4 EDDOC
U.S. European Command

I’m back from spending a few days in Afghanistan last week – and I came away encouraged and optimistic about our approach.

In the course of three days in both Kabul and Herat, which is out west, I had the privilege to observe both ISAF and Afghan forces in action. With this trip complete and an important international conference on Afghanistan upcoming in London, I thought I'd take the opportunity to share a few observations with you.

My arrival in Kabul on Monday morning, January 18, amidst an insurgent attack in the capital was particularly timely. The Afghan National Army (ANA) and Afghan National Police (ANP) responded quickly and effectively to prevent the insurgents from disrupting government operations. It was inspiring to see firsthand the progress that Afghan forces have made, and the increasing responsibility they are assuming for their nation's security. All 15 insurgents were killed or captured, with a minimal loss of life on the Afghan side. Our NATO troops were NOT involved!

Here I am meeting the Afghan Kandak (Battalion) commander in Forward Operating Base Shindand.

This brings me to the subject of NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan (NTM-A). This mission is one of our top priorities. We must ensure that our NTM-A Commander, Lieutenant General Bill Caldwell, is fully resourced and capable of providing the essential training that will allow Afghan forces to take increasing responsibility for their nation's security -- as they did so admirably last Monday in Kabul.

I also flew out west to visit Herat, about 700km west of Kabul, where I was able to spend time with the Italian Commanding General Alessandro Veltri and his team of well over 5,000 NATO troops from a dozen nations. In Forward Operating Base SHINDAND, south of Herat, I met a brilliant Italian officer, Colonel Dei, who is supporting economic development through the establishment of micro-loan programs that supply Afghan women with seed money for small businesses. Such programs reach to the heart of the nexus between security, stability, and prosperity, and embody the comprehensive approach.

Lt. Gen. David Rodriguez shows me around the ISAF Joint Command at Kabul International Airport.

During this trip, I met with ISAF and Afghan leadership; I received dozens of briefings; I saw our troops in action. And at the end of it all, I left knowing that our efforts are making a real difference. The future of Afghanistan and the stability of the region are directly linked to the security of our own countries, our own citizens, and the broader international community. Our sacrifices have been great and more will be required of us, but they have brought with them a new momentum, matched by renewed international commitment.

Here I am with Italian Commanding General Allessandro Vetri during my visit to Herat.

The next big event is the London Conference on Afghanistan this week. I’ll be part of the NATO delegation, headed by Secretary General Rasmussen and accompanied by my good friend General Stan McChrystal. There will be a presentation on the security side of the situation, but the real emphasis of the conference is to match the civilian side of the equation to our military work. As I’ve said many times, we MUST get the balance right between the civil and military if we are to succeed – and we will.

At the conference, the United Nations and over 60 other delegations will be present to address the overall effort in Afghanistan. We’ll focus on governance, economics, and security. A key presentation will be by the Afghans themselves, as they lay out a course forward that includes everything from anti-corruption to ideas about reconciliation and reintegration of the Taliban.

Buckle up for 2010 in Afghanistan – it’ll be a fast ride, with lots of twists and turns. Yet overall I believe we can and will succeed.

Adm. James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe