From Alexander Vershbow, NATO:  NATO takes collective defence seriously.  Missile threats to our Alliance territory and populations are real and growing. Our defence against these threats must be real, too, and able to adapt to the threat in the future. And that’s the approach we are taking. . . .

There is one other, key, feature of our missile defence work that I wish to emphasise. It has been, and will remain, true transatlantic teamwork – in the best NATO tradition. Many different assets, from several different European Allies, are being brought together with sizeable US assets to deliver a common, integrated and shared NATO capability.

The Netherlands has announced plans to upgrade four air-defence frigates with a missile defence radar.  France plans to develop an early-warning capability and long-range radar.  Germany and The Netherlands have offered Patriot missile batteries. Germany is hosting the NATO command-and-control system at Ramstein. Turkey, Romania, Poland and Spain have all agreed to host US contributions to our NATO system.  And other Allies are expected to announce additional contributions.

In sum, our work on missile defence demonstrates a strong commitment, on both sides of the Atlantic, to address emerging security challenges. It is also an excellent example of what we call Smart Defence – Allies working together to deliver a critical capability that they would be unable to deliver individually. 

Excerpts from speech by NATO Deputy Secretary General Ambassador Alexander Vershbow at the RUSI Missile Defence Conference, London, June 12, 2013.  (photo: NATO)

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