North Atlantic Treaty Organization
September 30, 2013
NATO Secretary General participates in Chicago debate on future of NATO
Daalder and Rasmussen with American, Chicago and NATO flags
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen discussed the future of NATO and its role as the pillar of security for both North America and Europe at a panel discussion hosted by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs on Monday (30 September 2013). The Secretary General’s visit to Chicago comes just over a year after the city hosted the largest NATO summit in Alliance history, which took key decisions on future engagement in Afghanistan, military capabilities and partnerships.
Mr. Fogh Rasmussen updated the participants on progress made since then and outlined his vision for the future. He stressed that the Alliance needs to stand prepared for the unexpected in coming years after ISAF, NATO’s largest combat mission to date, is completed next year. The Secretary General said that NATO must shift to a “ready, robust and rebalanced” Alliance. He said that next year’s NATO summit, to be hosted by the United Kingdom, will build on Chicago and should focus on three priorities: future capabilities, enhancing partnerships and rebalancing the relationship between European and North American Allies.
Monday’s event in Chicago touched on various issues at the top of NATO’s security agenda, including the Alliance’s future role in Afghanistan, coordinating defence strategies amid austerity, the transatlantic bond and the situation in the Middle East. The debate was hosted by Ambassador Ivo Daalder, president of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, who was the United States permanent representative to NATO from May 2009 to July 2013.
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