NR–12.193 - September 17, 2012
OTTAWA – The Chief of the Defence Staff, General Walt Natynczyk, joined his NATO counterparts this past weekend at NATO’s Military Committee Conference in Sibiu, Romania. The Conference provided NATO’s 28 Chiefs of Defence with the opportunity to reflect on the progress made since the May 2012 Chicago Summit and to develop a collective view on emerging issues in preparation for the meeting of NATO’s Defence Ministers planned for later this fall.
“This gathering of NATO's Military Committee was a productive follow-on to the discussions we shared last May in Chicago. Here in Sibiu, Romania, we were able to exchange perspectives on our mission in Afghanistan, review the current situation in the Mediterranean region and discuss NATO transformation initiatives," said General Natynczyk. “I also took this opportunity to bid farewell to my fellow NATO Chiefs and to reflect upon the cooperation of our forces on many operations. I know that Lieutenant-General Tom Lawson will continue to build strong relationships with our NATO partners once he becomes Canada’s Chief of the Defence Staff.”
The focus of this conference was on the current global security environment, ongoing NATO operations in Afghanistan and the Western Balkans, and NATO’s on-going transformation efforts. The Chiefs of Defence also received an update on the implementation of NATO’s Defence Package, a key deliverable of the 2012 Chicago Summit. Also present at the conference were Admiral James Stavridis, Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Stéphane Abrial, the outgoing Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, and his successor, General Jean-Paul Paloméros, and General John Allen, Commander of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
The Military Committee plays a critical role in building on the lessons learned from the Alliance’s missions, and helps ensure Allied militaries are interoperable, modern, agile and capable of responding whenever the Alliance may need to call upon them.
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For more information about the Office of the Chief of the Defence Staff, please visit his Website at: www.forces.gc.ca/site/ocds-bcemd/index-eng.asp
For more information about Canada’s relationship with NATO, please consult the following backgrounder: http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/news-nouvelles/news-nouvelles-eng.asp?id=4162
