"We will discuss how we can extend our training for Iraqi officers as they continue to fight ISIL," said the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday, using another acronym for ISIS.
"We will consider how we can provide direct support to the coalition against ISIL with AWACS surveillance aircraft," he added. AWACS stands for Airborne Warning and Control System, and is essentially a flying air traffic control tower.
Officials expect more details to be nailed down in time for a decision at a major NATO summit in Warsaw in three weeks. The support has been requested in writing by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, a senior NATO official said on background.
The official said the training would be of an advisory nature, such as helping the government reform its defense community, learning how to do long term defense planning, how to counter improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and provide logistics and medical care for troops.
"These are things that the Iraqi system needs very much," the official said. "The aim is to scale up to move inside Iraq and to increase the scope."
The official said currently, about 500 or 600 Iraqis are being trained in Jordan, but NATO is looking to train them inside Iraq, and scale that training up.
"NATO's got quite a bit of experience over the last 15 years on training indigenous military capabilities, certainly in Afghanistan, but also in Iraq," said a senior NATO official.
The official said the current coalition air campaign against ISIS is enabled by AWACS aircraft -- largely a U.S. capability, but NATO could contribute some of its 16 AWACS aircraft.
"If there's an AWACS gap in number of hours per week, then NATO could plug in and try to fill that gap," the official said.
NATO also aims to step up support for Ukraine with Comprehensive Package of Assistance as Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg explained that the Comprehensive Package brings together all the strands of NATO’s support, and will “help Ukraine establish more effective and efficient defence and security structures, and to strengthen civilian control over them.
He highlighted that the Alliance is already implementing projects under the Trust Funds established for Ukraine, including on command and control, cyber defence, and rehabilitating wounded soldiers. “We are also developing new projects, including in the areas of countering hybrid warfare and explosive devices,” he said.
“The situation in eastern Ukraine, caused by Russia’s actions, remains of concern,” the Secretary General said, pointing to daily ceasefire violations and impediments to the work of OSCE observers. Ministers agreed that the Minsk Agreements remain the path to a sustainable solution to the conflict, and urged all parties to fully implement them. They also expressed NATO’s enduring support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, reiterating that Allies do not and will not recognise the illegal and illegitimate annexation of Crimea. “Russia needs to stop supporting the militants, and withdraw its forces and military equipment from Ukrainian territory,” said Mr. Stoltenberg.
During the meeting, Minister Poltorak presented Ukraine’s defence reform roadmap, the Strategic Defence Bulletin. “Modernising Ukraine’s forces while they are engaged in conflict is no easy task, but the government is making good progress,” said the Secretary General.
Allies will meet with President Poroshenko in the NATO-Ukraine Commission at the Warsaw Summit in July.
“The situation in eastern Ukraine, caused by Russia’s actions, remains of concern,” the Secretary General said, pointing to daily ceasefire violations and impediments to the work of OSCE observers. Ministers agreed that the Minsk Agreements remain the path to a sustainable solution to the conflict, and urged all parties to fully implement them. They also expressed NATO’s enduring support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, reiterating that Allies do not and will not recognise the illegal and illegitimate annexation of Crimea. “Russia needs to stop supporting the militants, and withdraw its forces and military equipment from Ukrainian territory,” said Mr. Stoltenberg.
During the meeting, Minister Poltorak presented Ukraine’s defence reform roadmap, the Strategic Defence Bulletin. “Modernising Ukraine’s forces while they are engaged in conflict is no easy task, but the government is making good progress,” said the Secretary General.
Allies will meet with President Poroshenko in the NATO-Ukraine Commission at the Warsaw Summit in July.
At the NATO summit during July 8th-9th in Warsaw, the Alliance will adopt a massive military presence along Russia’s border. Russia is classified by NATO as a threat. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg recently said in Washington that the US and the EU have the right in the form of NATO to defend its territories on foreign soil. Critics of this strategy believe that it’s possible this upgrade will increase significantly the danger of a conflict between the superpowers.
Wednesday in Brussels, the defense ministers want the military alliance to take decisions which will then be sealed by the leaders in Poland. NATO wants to strengthen its military presence on its eastern borders significantly, and to position foreign combat troops battalions in Poland and the three Baltic states. Germany is the core of the Association in Lithuania, the British in Estonia, and the United States is expected to be that in Latvia. What remains unclear, however, is who will be sending troops to Poland.
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