Blog Posts tagged with "security"

In today’s budget-strapped environment, President Obama’s administration has called for more public-private collaboration.  Recently the President appointed a Principal Director for Community Partnership to the National Security Council staff to address how the government might partner more with outside entities and individuals.

The Department of Defense and most other U.S. government agencies are also looking for ways to improve effectiveness and efficiencies by reaching out to collaborate with private businesses, non-profit organizations and academia. EUCOM has already been working on initiatives like this for some time in areas such as cyber-security, communications, and humanitarian assistance, among others.  For the most part, this collaboration is focused on sharing expertise, exchanging information, and executing projects and operations.

This collaboration is especially beneficial to the government, as most of the cutting edge work, primarily technological, that once was done by the government is now being done in the private sector. The government now relies on private sector expertise to maintain its lead in defense, space and other national security issues.

Perhaps one of the most robust partnering initiatives EUCOM employs is the National Guard State Partnership Program (SPP) – where Guard personnel conduct some of the most enduring military-to-civilian – and even civilian-to-civilian – activities.  The SPP was initially launched as a political and military outreach initiative to the new democracies in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union in the 1990s and is now a key security cooperation tool. National Guard members now work with EUCOM partner nations on such issues as military justice, disaster response planning, military medical preparedness, search and rescue techniques, border and port security, counter trafficking and counter terrorism among others.

Non-state actors, terrorists, media magnates, cyber hackers, and other nefarious characters can function today with fewer constraints than ever, so the government is going to be continually challenged to protect national security and its citizens.  We here at EUCOM recognize the need to harness the know-how and resources of corporations, universities, research institutions, and charitable and development organizations. We continue to seek out opportunities for public-private cooperation initiatives because today’s problems will not be solved by government alone, but in increasingly in partnership with global business, partnerships with civil society.

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

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Want to read more on this topic? See the related article penned by Admiral Stavridis and Dr. Farkas or the recent blog by Admiral Stavridis.

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"

James Dehart, Department of State, listens to Dr. James MacDougall, George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies.

I'm thinking about how to connect public and private efforts to create security.

In this turbulent 21st century, security is not about creating walls. We won't deliver a secure world strictly from the barrel of a gun.

Instead, we need systems to connect and integrate. Why? Because the security challenges require teamwork. Think about the threats: trafficking in narcotics, arms, weapons of mass destruction, and humans; cybercrime; ballistic missiles; natural disasters and their aftermath; terrorism. All of these cross borders effortlessly and therefore require connective activity to solve.

I think a good expression for this is "open source security." This means that wherever we can, we should be creating teaming arrangements between nations (international); governmental organizations (interagency); and -- this is what I've been working lately -- private-public.

There are lots of ways private sector efforts can connect with the public domain to help create security. A few we've been pursuing include:

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  USAREUR's 12th Combat Aviation Brigade conducts a resupply mission with the Montenegrin Red Cross to deliver medical supplies to Montenegrins stranded by severe weather in Northern Montenegro Feb. 22.

  Humanitarian Assistance: Combining non-governmental organizations with public sector actors like USAID, Department of Defense (we build schools and clinics all over the world), State Department.
• Disaster Relief: Responding to big events like the Haitian and Pakistani earthquakes, the Indian Ocean Tsunami, and the Japanese nuclear incident requires a mix of everything from the US Navy to Doctors without borders.
• Medical Diplomacy: Look at the USNS Hospital ships COMFORT and MERCY They have done hundreds of thousands of patient treatments all over the Caribbean, Atlantic, and Pacific Oceans. They are crewed by a mix of public and private entities, notably Operation Hope.
• Maritime Protection: In response to piracy off the coasts of Africa, public actors like NATO, EU, and various global Navies are working with Merchant shipping corporations and the International Maritime Organization to create "best practices" that keep mariners safe.
• Cyber:  In the turbulent cyber "seas," both public sector actors (in the case of the US, Department of Homeland Security, Justice, Department of Defense, NSA) as well as the big internet providers, server and cloud organizations, and literally billions of users are all stakeholders. This is an area where we must all cooperate and the work between private and public is crucial.

From a NATO and a US European Command perspective, we'll continue to work on this. In NATO, we call it the "comprehensive approach," and on the US side we are enabling a small cell of folks to work actively on private-public partnership. In both cases, we hope to contribute to security in sensible but non-traditional ways.

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 

“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

In protecting your information, do you use a combination of something you have, such as a bank card, and something you know, Personal Identification Number (PIN), to protect your information or other resources?

This “two-factor” login significantly increases the level of protection used for that account and is also the system used when withdrawing money out of the bank. As we approach the end of October’s National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM), I wanted to draw attention to a similar strategy that is available to help protect personal accounts from abuse.

From online finances to social networking and e-mail, all of these sites comprise part of our “cyber-identity”. Many of these websites are increasing security by providing the option to use a “two-factor” login. By sending a one-use password to your mobile phone using text messages a growing number of Internet services are offering the ability for users to strengthen the security of their accounts beyond that of just a password.

For example, Google/Gmail can be setup to send a one-time password to your mobile phone via SMS message for each login or once every 30 days. Similarly, with Hotmail you can designate a trusted PC or incorporate text messages for password resets. Facebook offers the ability to receive SMS messages as part of the login process when an unknown device is detected attempting to access your account. There are other similar sites with similar security options available for your use. What sites and security options do you find useful?

With the growing number of adversaries out there causing mischief, it’s certainly worth checking out to see if these or similar security options will work on your personal accounts to protect your cyber persona. Stay secure and stay safe online!

Below are some additional tips to protect against Identity Theft. Do you have any others?

• Do not sign the back of your credit cards. Instead put "PHOTO ID REQUIRED"
• When you order your checks, don't list a telephone number. Write the number on the check at the time of the transaction, if needed.
• Photocopy the contents of your wallet including both sides of each license, credit card, etc. You will have your account numbers and phone numbers in case of theft or loss.

Jason Cullum
Cyber Defense Analyst
EUCOM Network Warfare Center

A couple of cyber factoids. DoD has over seven million devices connected to approximately 15,000 networks. These information systems face thousands of probes each day from criminals, terrorist organizations, and foreign intelligence organizations each seeking ways to exfiltrate sensitive information. How will you help protect the networks that are used as a tool to assist warfighters, planners, and commanders by preserving freedom of action in Cyberspace?

Increasing Threats. Over the last year, there appeared to be weekly updates on new breached into the Information Technology Systems of an organization would occur each week. No online entity was safe! Security companies, entertainment companies, financial organizations, National and Foreign Government’s websites were reported infiltrated with the organization's information stolen for illicit use.

Eddie Schwartz, Chief Security Officer of RSA, The Security Division of EMC2, described the current environment as “a 'state' of persistent, dynamic, intelligent threat and disruption, the economic and societal ramifications of which are overwhelming.” Mr. Schwartz also stated that “only through collaboration can we unite our strategies to combat these advanced threats as we move forward together in our pursuit of a trusted digital world."

The attack vector has shifted from taking advantage of technology vulnerabilities to exploiting people's need to be helpful. Social network sites provide attackers with insights into their victims' interests allowing the attacker to customize email phishes, exploit and exfiltrate identity or other personal information. Additionally, the adversary’s ability to be increasingly agile and to take advantage of vulnerabilities more quickly and makes the protection of information a challenge.

USEUCOM’s Cyber Team will support October’s National Cyber Security Awareness Month and provide information on how every Internet user has a role to play in securing cyberspace, ensuring their safety and their families online. Over the next few weeks, you will include tips for better Cyber Security at Work and Home. Help us build a trusted digital environment.

Be an aware Cyber Patriot and protect our information and assure the mission.

Kay Myers
Director, Cyber Operations Center
and Cyber Patriot

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

Although the news tends to cover the myriad of crises that EUCOM is involved with, it often overlooks the vitally important and enduring missions that truly underpin the long-term success of EUCOM. Let me offer you an example. Part of EUCOM ‘s mission is to conduct work with our international military counterparts in order to build their military capacity. Sometimes we do this alone – military to military – and other times we find opportunities to work with other partners in the public or private sector.

A case in point: In early March, we teamed up with Project Hope, a non-profit medical service organization, to work with us and our Baltic allies in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia on some of the most relevant, important issues facing all of our forces: wounded warrior care, veteran care, traumatic brain injury (TBI) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are committed ISAF partners conducting combat operations in Afghanistan. These countries each rank in the top half of total ISAF troop contributions, as well as per capita fatalities. Lithuania leads a Provincial Reconstruction Tam (PRT) in Chaghcharan; Latvia has contributed soldiers to PRT and Operational Mentor and Liaison Team (OMLT) missions for the last 4 years in Afghanistan; and Estonia is operating alongside coalition forces without caveats in some of the most dangerous areas of Afghanistan.

Like most countries involved with the ISAF mission, the Baltic nations have experienced a relatively high amount of casualties, IED related injuries and PTSD. Like all contributors, they are confronting the challenges of caring for severely wounded, ill, and injured military personnel and their families post deployment.

EUCOM’s Military to Military Contact Program, one of EUCOM’s oldest and most effective security cooperation programs, began working with the Offices of Defense Cooperation in our Baltic embassies to plan an event with our allies which facilitates information sharing for pre- and post-deployment medical care, including the identification and treatment of TBI and building a Warrior Care plan.

The Project Hope mission includes educating health professionals, community health workers, and strengthening health facilities all over the world. For this event, Project Hope provided nationally renowned specialists in neurosurgery and psychiatry to team up with a director from the Department of Defense Wounded Warrior Program, a senior DOD policy analyst and U.S. Air Force Europe’s 3rd Air Chief of International Health. With the help of our ODCs, this team of experts traveled to Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia where they worked alongside members of the Ministries of Defense and Health, along with civilian medical, hospital and university personnel.

What a success! This mission proved an important first step in a continued partnership of exchanges and collaboration on these crucial issues for soldiers and veterans who have served their nation and NATO proudly.

We are learning more and more how TBI can lead to problems with PTSD, depression, drugs and alcohol, and seeing more clearly the tangible effects of the bloodless trauma from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. We all grapple with these tough problems. Learning from each other – across nations and public/private sectors – and sharing lessons learned and best practices is the truest form of international and public-private cooperation. This collaboration with Project Hope and the Department of Defense in the Baltics embodied that spirit perfectly.

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

More blogs on the Project Hope/Wounded Warrior Care visit are available here: Exploring Wounded Warrior issues in partner nations

and

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

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

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

They cyber world really caught my attention about a year ago when my daughter’s Facebook account was pirated and her identity used for a swindle. Ugh!

Earlier this month, I gave a speech in San Diego that addressed the issue of the cyber domain – what I like to refer to as the “Cyber Sea” (I’m a sailor, after all!). The speech has received a fair amount of attention. I appreciate all the feedback I’ve received on it so far and look forward to any you may have.

I am keenly interested in exploring and investigating solutions to balance the tension between the desire for collaborative openness against sustaining the necessary protection of the underlying networks and systems. Since my speech in San Diego, I’ve thought a lot more about the subject and I keep coming back to the idea that there are two possible outcomes to the current complex and largely ungoverned “Cyber Sea” environment:

The first and vastly preferred outcome is that we work together as an international community to create a comprehensive set of rules and behavioral norms that would govern behavior within the cyber domain. Think of an effort along the lines of the Law of the Sea Treaty negotiation, a very big project indeed.

Yet a second possible albeit highly undesirable outcome is that we find ourselves in a deterrence posture similar to the Cold War but with different tools. A stalemate, if you will, wherein actors – individuals? organizations? nation states? – are deterred from “doing harm” by the threat that harm will in turn will be done to them.

In our pursuit of the preferred cyber domain, I expect we’ll find ourselves navigating the Cyber Sea somewhere between the shores of both possible outcomes. Current cyber attack events highlight the existence of “cyber-citizens” who demonstrate a proclivity for disruptive, self-serving behavior. And just like pirates, smugglers, and traffickers on the high seas, who ignore the law of the sea, we’ll have to take measures to protect ourselves, and deter the activities of these “bad actors” in the Cyber Sea. It will take time, work and commitment but I’m confident if we proactively work together today, we can ensure that the first outcome becomes our collective future.

My own thinking on this subject has been informed by a whole host of resources and conversations, but I am by no means an expert…whereas some of you undoubtedly are. So, in the spirit of conversation, I thought I’d share some of my favorites, and hope that you in turn will share with me some of your ideas and inspirations:

• LTG Keith Alexander. A brilliant leader on the cutting edge of this topic within the national security context. Some of his speeches and Congressional testimony can be found at www.nsa.gov.

• Clay Shirky. Author, speaker, thinker. Google him and perhaps check out one of his many talks at www.ted.com (and be sure to browse the site for lots of other remarkable thinkers and ideas!)

• Two books which are little older, but no less important as we develop our collective thinking on how to navigate the cyber sea:

    - The Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage by Clifford Stoll a real life story about life within the cyber sea.

     - Secrets and Lies: Digital Security in a Networked World by Bruce Schneier who is an expert in the field and shares the language and thinking of those whose profession it is to guard networks and systems.

I’ll see you on the Cyber Sea!

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

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

Happy Twenty Ten from U.S. European Command in Stuttgart, Germany!

I’m sure everyone had some great time off with family and friends and is now recharged and ready to experience 2010s challenges and opportunities!

We’ve been pushing forward in the social media realm here as you can see from the new additions on our Web site. And I’m happy to say that our conversations in the cyber realm have increased as we continue to tell our story and develop relationships with you all.

It’s pretty amazing to realize just how far EUCOM has come in 58 years. This command has been part of many amazing events and will surely witness many more to come.

Let’s hope this year brings good news as we press forward with our mission of conducting military operations and building partner capacity alongside our 51 partner nations.

My recent trip to Macedonia showed me first-hand the relationships we’ve developed and are continuing to develop with our partner nations. I wrote two stories on that visit that can better tell you about some of the things we’re doing there. Also, catch Chuck Brady’s blog. Chuck is our Civil Military Operations chief who gets to be a part of this great stuff every day.

You might be wondering why EUCOM works so hard to establish, build-upon, and keep these relationships? Simply put, it’s about working together toward a better life for everyone.

There are so many ways we do this. We help train partner nation militaries so they can better protect themselves and their people. We help through humanitarian assistance when our partner nations call upon us for support. And we help through civil military operations, building stability and security, and are currently working alongside 19 of our partner nations in this arena.

For 58 years EUCOM has been here, working hard toward security and stability for all.  And together, with our partner nations, we will continue to work toward this endstate.

Keep tracking our blogs as we start to write more on our partnership in these countries. And, please, continue to be actively involved in the conversation.

Happy New Year!

SPP Fact Sheet
Welcome to the 2009 European Command State Partnership Program (SPP) Conference and thanks for following us as a virtual participant in what is sure to be an exciting week for us in Stuttgart. My staff and I at the EUCOM Reserve Affairs Directorate have put together a thought-provoking, forward-leaning agenda for our resident and virtual participants alike.

For our followers who are not familiar with the State Partnership Program, it’s simply about building and nurturing relationships so we can enhance the military, civil authority and security capabilities of our 21 partner countries in Europe and Eurasia. From its groundbreaking start in 1993 after the fall of the Berlin Wall, this program has evolved into one of the premier tools of the U.S. government to bridge divides and help our partner countries train and build their military and civil security capabilities. SPP has been the U.S. government’s most economic capability-building tools for our partner countries. Through the powerful relationships between states and partners, everyone works together to develop military and security capabilities that can be fully employed locally, regionally and by NATO. In many cases, these relationships are so strong, the National Guard states and their partner countries form teams and deploy together to support operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

One of the beauties of the State Partnership Program is its use of U.S. National Guard forces from various states. They are our primary relationship builders. These highly skilled Citizen Soldiers and Airmen leverage and share their military and civilian expertise with counterparts in their partner nations, resulting in synergistic cooperation at it’s best.

With our conference this week, we will propel our State Partnership Program agenda to new levels. This conference is truly a game changer event, not just for EUCOM, but, we think, for our sister combatant commands and their partner countries around the world. Our goal is to develop comprehensive concepts that will have applicability across the board.

The heart of the conference is six highly interactive workshops where we will develop playbooks that enable our National Guard state forces to better engage with their partner countries on military and civil authoritative levels. These playbooks will form the core of a new paradigm we call “Enhanced SPP,” something we think is critical for regional security and stabilization, as well as for partner-country security and stabilization.

“Enhanced SPP” incorporates valuable expertise of state-government agencies and the military expertise of state National Guards. We export this expertise to partner nations in a collaborative training environment with the ultimate goal being the self-sustainability of the partner nations’ government and military. For example, “Enhanced SPP” can bring world class port security expertise to help our partner nations develop sustainable programs that both improve security while effectively balancing commercial requirements. The same approach can be applied to emergency management, intelligence fusion, counter narcotics and a host of other areas where our state agencies have a wealth of expertise and our partner nations have a thirst for the capability.

On the military front, our goal is to continue to help our partners develop effective militaries that can be employed and deployed both in the region for security and stability and exported to other regions as required. Use of National Guard forces for this mission is the most cost effective approach for the U.S. government. “Enhanced SPP” will raise the engagement bar considerably. We will continue the time tested military-to-military “engagement model,” but at a higher level.

As I said earlier, relationships matter. The State Partnership Program at EUCOM is perhaps our best way to develop and nourish long standing, mutually beneficial relationships with our European allies and partner countries. During our conference, we will look as ways to make those relationships better and more robust through engagement strategies and strategic communication.

I invite you to enjoy EUCOM’s SPP Conference through this and other forums. Follow us on Twitter via #SPP and #EUCOM.

Brigadier General Jeffery Marshall, United States Army
Director, European Command Directorate of Mobilization and Reserve Affairs

Rear Adm. Steve Romano, EUCOM Director of Logistics, speaks at the NATO conference.

We had a superb turn-out at the EUCOM-hosted 2009 NATO Security Investment Program (NSIP) Conference held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen March 16 to 19.  This event, held in cooperation with the NATO Strategic Allied Transformation Command,   brought together over 170 representatives from 24 NATO nations, each of the NATO Headquarters and several of the NATO Agencies to discuss the status and future of this important Alliance program in transforming and sustaining NATO missions and operations.

Chaired by Rear Admiral Panagiotis Raditsas, Assistant Chief of Staff (ACOS) Resources and Logistics, the event focused attendees discussions on ways to improve the visibility in resourcing alliance capabilities.  Through a program of presentations and a series of working groups, national delegates were able to present ideas and concepts to increase the transparency of this important investment program, while decreasing the time it will take to deliver capabilities to the field for the warfighter.

This is the first time that U.S. European Command has provided support of this magnitude for the annual NSIP Conference.  Rear Admiral Steve Romano, Director of Logistics, shared his insight on the significance of the event and impact the NSIP has on Alliance capabilities.  "This conference is an important event, in that it brings together the leaders and subject matter experts on NSIP to discuss the health of the program.  Why is this important?  One looks no further than to our continuing operations and transformation efforts across the Alliance, whether with the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, operations in Kosovo or the enhancement of fixed infrastructure within the NATO territory.  It is our combined and collaborative planning, programming, procurement and implementation of the NSIP, together with national means, that enables the Alliance to successfully accomplish the mission"

The NSIP finances the building of facilities and communication and information systems needed to support major NATO commands and on-going NATO military operations.  Our meeting last week ensured the continued vitality of this program.

Lt Col Chris Knutson
Chief, NATO Programs
USEUCOM J4