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A New Chapter in the History of the North A NEW CHAPTER IN THE HISTORY OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC ALLIANCE “The North Atlantic Alliance was founded witho twpurposes: the defence of the territory of its members, and the safeguarding and promotion of the values they share. In a still uncertain world, the need for defence remains. But in a world where the values which we uphold are shared ever more widely, we gladly seize the opportunity to adapt our defences accordingly; to cooperate and consult with our new partners; to help consolidate a now undivided continent of Europe; and to make our Alliance’s contribution to a new age of confidence, stability and peace.” Extract from the Rome Declaration on Peace and Cooperation issued by the Heads o f State and Government participating in the meeting o f the North Atlantic Council in Rome on 7-8 November 1991. The London and Rome Summits At the 1990 London Summit Meeting NATO interests, including proliferation of weapons of Alliance has embarked. The inaugural meeting of published a far-reaching Declaration on steps mass destruction, disruption of the flow of vital the North Atlantic Cooperation Council which was taken within the Alliance to adapt its policies and resources, terrorism and sabotage. proposed in the Rome Declaration, took place on objectives in the light of the changes which have 20 December 1991 with the participation of the taken place in Europe. The Alliance’s Strategic Concept outlines a Foreign Ministers or representatives of NATO broad approach to security based on dialogue, countries and of six Central and Eastern European Sixteen months later, in November 1991, the cooperation and the maintenance of a collective countries as well as the three Baltic states. The role Heads of State and Government of NATO defence capability. It integrates political and of the Cooperation Council is to facilitate countries gathered inR ome to open a new chapter military elements of NATO’s security policy into a cooperation on security and related issues between in the history of the Alliance. They issued an coherent whole, establishing cooperation with new the participating countries at all levels and to historic Declaration on Peace and Cooperation partners in Central and Eastern Europe as an oversee the process of developing closer and, in accordance with the decisions taken in integral part of the Alliance’s strategy. It also institutional ties as well as informal links between London, published a new Strategic Concept provides for major changes in NATO’s integrated them. The eleven States on the territory of the designed to bring NATO’s overall strategy into military forces, in order to take account of the former Soviet Union which now constitute the line with future needs. Six weeks later history was changed strategic environment, including Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) again made with the creation of a North Atlantic substantial reductions in their size and readiness, became participants in this process in March 1992. Cooperation Council bringing together Foreign improvements in their mobility and adaptability to Georgia and Albania joined the process in April Ministers and representatives of the sixteen different contingencies, greater use of and June 1992. NATO is also playing a role in the member countries of the Alliance and nine new multinational formations and much reduced coordination of humanitarian aid to these new cooperation partners in a forum created to dependence on nuclear forces. Measures are also states and is making available its unique expertise establish an institutional basis for an entirely new being taken to streamline NATO’s military and capabilities for this purpose. In addition, security relationship between them. command structure and to adapt the Alliance’s NATO Defence Ministers participating in the defence planning arrangements and procedures in activities of the Defence Planning Committee have The Rome Declaration defines the future tasks and the light of the changed circumstances concerning examined ways of making NATO’s expertise and policies of NATO in relation to the overall security in Europe as a whole. experience in defence-related issues available to all institutional framework for Europe’s future cooperation partners and contacts are being security and in relation to the evolving partnershipThe purpose of this booklet is to describe the developed between Ministries of Defence and at and newly established cooperation with the significance of the Rome Declaration on Peace and the military level for this purpose. NATO Defence countries of Central and Eastern Europe. It Cooperation and the challenges it represents in the Ministers met with cooperation partners on 1 April reaffirms the Alliance’s commitment to transformation of the Alliance to meet the new 1992 and the Military Committee held its first strengthening the role of the Conference on circumstances of the 1990s. Mention is also made meeting in Cooperation Session on 10 April 1992. Security and Cooperation in Europe and makes of the guiding principles of the new Strategic specific suggestions for achieving this. In addition, Concept. Since the publication of the Rome The North Atlantic Alliance is thus playing its full it examines the progress achieved and Declaration, additional measures have been taken part in the transformation of Europe and will opportunities available in the field of arms controlat Ministerial Meetings of Foreign and Defence continue to have a unique role as the cornerstone and underlines the Alliance’s adherence to a global Ministers held in December 1991 and at of the transatlantic partnership on which Europe’s view of security. This takes into account broader subsequent meetings, to further the process of stability and security have been built. challenges which can affect Alliance security adaptation and transformation on which the The Future Role of the Alliance Europe’s security has substantially improved. The Each of these elements is designed to ensure that smaller and more flexible. Conventional forces are threat of massive military confrontation no longer crises affecting European security can be preventedbeing substantially reduced and in many cases so is hangs over it. Nevertheless potential risks to or resolved peacefully. their level of readiness. They are also being made security from instability or tension still exist. more mobile, to enable them to react to a wider Against this background, NATO’s new Strategic The military dimension of the Alliance remains an range of contingencies; and they are being Concept reaffirms the core functions of the essential factor if these goals are to be achieved. It reorganised to ensure that they have the flexibility Alliance including the maintenance of the will continue to reflect a number of fundamental to contribute to crisis management and to enable transatlantic link and of an overall strategic principles : them to be built up if necessary for the purposes of balance in Europe. The Strategic Concept reflects - The Alliance is purely defensive in purpose. defence. Multinational forces will in future play a a broad approach to stability and security. It greater role within NATO’s integrated military recognises that security is based on political, - Security is indivisible. An attack on one member structure. economic, social and environmental considerationsof the Alliance is an attack upon all. The as well as defence. It reflects the unprecedented presence of North American forces in and Nuclear forces will also be greatly reduced. The opportunity which now exists to achieve the committed to Europe remains vital to the security current NATO stockpile of sub-strategic nuclear Alliance’s long-standing objectives by political of Europe, which is inseparably linked to that of weapons will in fact be cut by approximately 80%. means, in keeping with the undertakings made in North America. Further far-reaching reciprocal cuts in the strategic Articles 2 and 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty. - NATO’s security policy is based on collective nuclear forces of the United States and those in the Accordingly, the future security policy of the defence, including an integrated military former Soviet Union were proposed by President Alliance can be based on three mutually structure as well as cooperation and coordinationBush in his State of the Union Address at the end reinforcing elements: agreements between Allies. of January 1992 and in June 1992 President Bush and President Yeltsin announced agreement on dialogue - The maintenance of an appropriate mix of nuclear and conventional forces based in Europefurther significantly reduced levels. The will be required for the foreseeable future. fundamental purpose of the remaining nuclear cooperation forces maintained by member countries of the Alliance will continue to be political: to preserve maintenance of a collective In the changed circumstances affecting Europe’s security, NATO forces are being adapted to the peace and prevent war or any kind of coercion. defence capability new strategic environment and are becoming The European Security Identity and Defence Role Meetings of the Defence Planning Committee and and to maintain fully the strategic unity and the development of a European identity in foreign and of the North Atlantic Council took place in indivisibility of their security. security policy and defence are adequately Brussels in December 1991, shortly after the involved in decisions which may affect their meeting of European Community leaders in The Alliance is the essential forum for security. The new Strategic Concept, which is the Maastricht on political and monetary union. consultation amongst its members and is the venue agreed conceptual basis for the military forces of Defence Ministers and Foreign Ministers welcomed for agreement on policies with a bearing on their all the members of the Alliance, facilitates the agreement reached by the Council of security and defence commitments under the complementarity between the Alliance and the the European Community on a common foreign North Atlantic Treaty. However as the two emerging defence component of the European and security policy of the European Union and itsprocesses advance - namely the European security political unification process.
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