Jens Stoltenberg

US concerns over EU PESCO defense pact cloud NATO talks

Brussels (AFP) – NATO defence ministers met in Brussels on Wednesday to discuss Washington’s concerns over the European Union’s new plans to deepen defense ties between its members, and increasingly strained U.S.-Turkey relations. Washington and Ankara, two of the transatlantic alliance’s most important members, are at loggerheads over Turkey’s military offensive in northern Syria. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday warned it was detracting from the fight against the Islamic State group. The two-day meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels is expected to approve changes to the alliance’s command structure. It aims to meet the challenges of warfare in the 21st century, particularly cyber attacks and other novel “hybrid warfare” tactics, as fears grow about Russian assertiveness. But a working dinner with E.U. diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini later Wednesday has taken on greater significance after senior US officials voiced fears about the impact the bloc’s new landmark defence pact could have on the balance of power in NATO. The E.U.’s so-called permanent structured cooperation on defence agreement, known as PESCO, has projects in view already to develop new military equipment and improve cooperation and decision-making. But on Sunday a senior official working with U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis …

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NATO chief signals new training mission in Iraq

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg defense ministers will likely begin planning for a training mission in Iraq when they meet in Belgium this week.

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NATO extends Secretary General Stoltenberg’s mandate until 2020

NATO has extended Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg's mandate until September 2020, the alliance said

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NATO to deploy 3,000 more troops to Afghanistan, half from US – Stoltenberg

NATO will deploy 3,000 more troops to Afghanistan in an attempt to help "break the stalemate", Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said

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NATO launches new multinational division in Romania

NATO launched a new 10-country multinational force from in Romania to counter Russia in southeast Europe in the Black Sea

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