North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Allied Command Transformation
January 28, 2014
NATO ACT and CSIS host Transatlantic Forum
Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Adam M. Bennett
NATO Allied Command Transformation (ACT) and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) hosted the Transatlantic Forum in Washington, D.C. January 27 and 28.
The purpose of the two-day forum was to discuss rebalancing and reinforcing the transatlantic bond as the Alliance gears up for the 2014 NATO Summit in Newport, Southern Wales (UK). It included a keynote discussion featuring Arizona Senator John McCain and Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy and a series of workshops involving experts from North America and Europe.
During the keynote discussion, Senator Murphy said, “NATO is the exact kind of multi-lateral partnership that many of us want the U.S. to reinvest in and I think it probably bears repeating that over and over again.”
The second day consisted of workshops that covered major issues involving current capabilities and the future of NATO. Opening remarks were given by Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, French Air Force General Jean-Paul Paloméros (SACT), to set the tone of the workshops.
“The aim of these workshops is from my perspective very clear,” said SACT. “It’s to set the scene for the summit in September and several ministerial meetings before that, which are all stepping stones for the future of NATO and the transatlantic link.”
The forum concluded with a key takeaway summary from Dr. Kathleen Hicks, Senior Vice President, Henry A. Kissinger Chair, and Director, International Security Program, CSIS.
During the summary, Dr. Hicks said that NATO should convey at the September Summit a continuing vision for the Alliance’s purpose, centered around securing common interests, and a set of concrete initiatives to cement the interoperability of its military forces for 21st Century challenges.
SACT followed Dr. Hicks with closing remarks saying, “I don’t see this forum as a one-off event,” SACT said. “I appreciate this type of high-level debate with credible arguments; it is very helpful for us at ACT and I think it is important to do this more often.”
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