North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe
August 4, 2014
DSACEUR and Senior U.S. Officials Discuss Ukraine Crisis
Washington D.C. – General Sir Adrian Bradshaw, Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe (DSACEUR) met with numerous senior military and defence officials in the United States in order to discuss the ongoing crisis in Ukraine and the appropriate NATO responses. The visit included stops at NATO’s Allied Command Transformation Headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia on Tuesday, 29 July, as well engagements with the Atlantic Council officials in Washington D.C. for the remainder of the week.
Discussions were frank and there was widespread agreement that the security paradigm in Europe has changed due to Russia’s recent actions and tactics in Ukraine. The crisis is receiving renewed prominence due to the recent downing of a Malaysian Airlines passenger jet and accusations that Russia may have provided surface-to-air missiles to pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine.
“NATO has responded to the Ukraine crisis with a series of immediate assurance measures in the short term, but more work remains,” said General Bradshaw. He indicated that as the NATO Summit approaches in September, political leaders will consider ways to enhance the capabilities and responsiveness of NATO forces to meet the new situation in Eastern Europe whilst remaining responsive to other threats.
“We already have the equipment and the manpower to deal with this new situation. The key is to train them and prepare them to be more responsive. Improving our responsiveness for collective defence in Europe can also have benefits in the field of stabilization and capacity building. Our Immediate Assurance Measures, in response to the Ukraine crisis have met with a very positive response from Alliance members worried about their own security. They have also contributed to NATO solidarity. We must now build on the measures to improve the responsiveness of our defence forces,” said General Bradshaw.
Both the DSACEUR and U.S. officials stressed that European Allies have a key role to play in ensuring defence spending targets are met and that sufficient defence capabilities are retained to maintain the credibility and effectiveness of the Alliance.
Story by SHAPE Public Affairs Office
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