NATO-Ukraine News 1/06
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NATO-Ukraine News 1/06 The Intensified Dialogue between NATO and Ukraine continues The Ukrainian Navy prepares to support Operation Active Endeavour Multinational contract provides for the use of Russian and Ukrainian Antonov aircraft to meet shortfalls in strategic airlift 2 Intensified Dialogue 3 Operation Active Endeavour 4 Strategic airlift 5-9 Focus on defence reform, intelligence oversight, military conference, scientific cooperation, seminars Ukrainian Foreign Minister Borys Tarasyuk meets NATO Secretary General at NATO Headquarters on 1 February NATO-Ukraine News NATO-Ukraine Intensified Dialogue continues relations and settle outstanding disputes with neighbouring countries through peaceful means. Almost a year since the Intensified Dialogue on Security and stability in the wider region was also Ukraine's aspirations to NATO membership and discussed, including attempts to help resolve the related reforms was launched, a second full round frozen conflict in Moldova. Discussion of domestic of staff talks under the Dialogue took place at issues focused on the preparations for Ukraine's NATO Headquarters on 23 March. parliamentary elections, the fight against corruption and economic developments. The legal The objective of the day-long set of talks was to issues raised addressed various aspects of have another informal exchange on the Allies' agreements between Ukraine and NATO, as well as expectations of Ukraine as a potential candidate technical issues affecting NATO-Ukraine for NATO membership, and to review progress in cooperation, including the provision of technical Ukraine's reform efforts since the first round of assistance to Ukraine. staff talks in September 2005 (see NATO-Ukraine News 2/05). Four sessions of talks addressed foreign policy issues, legal issues, domestic policy The successful implementation issues, and defence and security sector reform. of reforms is essential for First Deputy Foreign Minister Anton Buteiko headed a robust Ukrainian delegation, of Euro-Atlantic integration 17 officials, including the First Deputy Minister of Defence and security sector reform has been on Defence, the Deputy Minister of Justice and the the NATO-Ukraine agenda for a long time, since Deputy Head of the Security Service of Ukraine. well before the launch of the Intensified Dialogue. Other senior and working-level officials included The successful implementation of reforms in this representatives of the Cabinet of Ministers, the area is also essential for Ukraine's pursuit of the presidential secretariat and the ministries of objective of Euro-Atlantic integration. The staff foreign affairs, defence, the interior, justice, talks focused on the status of the recently economy and finance, as well as the National published annual Ukrainian White Book on Security and Defence Council, the armed forces, Defence, Ukraine's defence budget, and lessons the Security Service, the National Centre for Euro- learned from the ongoing reorganisation of the Atlantic Integration, and the State Committee on defence ministry and the General Staff, as well as Television and Radio Broadcasting. wider reforms in the security sector, including The foreign policy issues discussed related to Security Service of Ukraine intelligence agencies Ukraine's efforts to pursue good-neighbourly and the Ministry of the Interior troops. 2 Earlier this year, also in the framework of the Intensified Ukrainian support for Dialogue, two meetings of NATO's Political Committee with Operation Active Endeavour Ukraine were held. The first, in January, was dedicated to various foreign policy issues; the second, in February, Rear Admiral Kabaneko, Deputy Commander of the provided an opportunity to discuss legal issues and Ukrainian Navy, led a Ukrainian delegation in a visit to Ukraine's constitutional reforms. Progress in the Intensified NATO Headquarters on 23 February. They briefed Dialogue was also one of many subjects of discussion members of NATO's Military Committee and had working- of Foreign Minister Borys Tarasyuk's meeting with level discussions with NATO military staff on preparations NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer on for Ukrainian ships to support Operation Active Endeavour, 1 February at NATO Headquarters. the Alliance's maritime counter-terrorist operation in the Mediterranean. An exchange of letters established the legal framework for Ukrainian support to Operation Active Endeavour in April President signs Annual Target Plan 2005. Since that time, several groups of experts from Allied military commands have visited the Ukrainian Black Ukraine's Annual Target Plan for 2006 was signed by Sea Fleet Headquarters at Sevastopol to establish good President Viktor Yushchenko on 6 April. The NATO- communications at the working level and to work out Ukraine Commission had previously endorsed the joint practical issues to facilitate Ukraine's efforts. Ukraine is NATO-Ukraine actions included in the Plan. currently preparing a frigate, an amphibious landing ship, a corvette and boarding teams (to be deployed on a The Annual Target Plan sets targets in different areas rotational basis) in support of the operation. While including internal political issues, foreign and security the target date for the participation of the first Ukrainian policy, defence and security sector reform, public ship was originally early 2007, the intention is to bring information, information security and economic and this forward to as early as this autumn, once all legal issues. In some areas, the targets are to be met pre-deployment training and preparations are through internal actions by Ukraine and, in others, joint completed successfully. NATO-Ukraine actions have also been agreed. Meeting these targets will be a step towards achieving the long- Training and certification are the two main elements of term strategic objectives that were identified in the 2002 pre-deployment preparations. NATO is sending mobile NATO-Ukraine Action Plan with a view to bringing training teams to Ukraine to help develop familiarise Ukraine closer to its Euro-Atlantic integration goals. Ukrainian navy personnel with NATO standard procedures The full text of the Annual Target Plan has been and communications. There is also a need for training at published online at: www.nato.int/ukraine sea with Allied ships participating in Operating Active Endeavour to practise joint manoeuvering and the boarding of suspect ships. By monitoring shipping and providing escorts to non-military shipping through the Straits of Gibraltar, Operation Active Endeavour helps detect, deter and protect against terrorist activity in the Mediterranean 3 A couple of key concerns will need to be The contract provides for two AN-124-100 aircraft addressed for Ukrainian ships to be able to on full-time charter, two more on six days notice participate effectively. The most significant is and another two on nine days notice. This the lack of English language skills among multinational arrangement allows the countries Ukrainian navy personnel. It will also take some participating in the Strategic Airlift Interim Solution NATO-Ukraine News NATO-Ukraine time for all the documents related to the operation (SALIS) programme to meet commitments to to be translated, distributed, reviewed and fully strengthen capabilities in both the NATO and understood. Various issues related to logistics EU frameworks. and administration also have to be addressed. The contract's initial duration is for three years In addition, prior to their actual integration into with a possibility to extend it further. The aircraft, Operation Active Endeavour, the Ukrainian ships which will become available from the beginning of must be assessed for operational readiness in the February, will be drawn from the Russian same certification process that is used to evaluate company, Volga-Dnepr, and Ukraine's ADB. The NATO ships. contract is administered by the NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency and its operation will be managed by the SALIS Strategic airlift agreement signed Coordination Centre in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. The countries concerned have Thanks to a multinational contract, Russian and committed to using the aircraft for a minimum of Ukrainian Antonov aircraft are to be used as an 2000 flying hours per year. The SALIS plan interim solution to meet shortfalls in European evolved from the signing of a letter of intent to develop a multinational consortium to arrange for strategic airlift capabilities, pending deliveries of strategic airlift by NATO defence ministers in June Airbus A400M aircraft, expected to start in 2010. 2003. Strategic airlift is a key capability enabling On 23 January, 15 NATO countries signed a the rapid deployment of troops and equipment to contract with Ruslan SALIS GmbH, a subsidiary of where they are needed. In recent years, NATO's the Russian company Volga-Dnepr, based in ongoing operation in Afghanistan, its logistical Leipzig, Germany. The 15 original signatories — support to the African Union's mission in Darfur, Canada, the Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, and the earthquake disaster-relief operation for Finland, France, Hungary, Luxembourg, the Pakistan have highlighted the need for strategic Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, airlift which can handle outsized cargo. A single Slovenia and the United Kingdom — were joined AN-124-100 can transport up to 120 tons by Sweden on 23 March. of cargo. Antonov aircraft were used for NATO's Pakistan earthquake relief operation 4 Volga-Dnepr and ADB already