NATO Defence Ministers met today (15 April 2020) by secure video conference to decide the Alliance’s next steps in the fight against Covid-19.

Speaking after the meeting, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said, “The crisis has shown that our nations are resilient and united. Our militaries are already playing a key role in support of national civilian effort. And using NATO mechanisms, Allies have been helping each other to save lives.”

NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Tod Wolters, is coordinating military support to deal with the virus. This includes matching requests for support with offers from Allies and partners, and coordinating NATO’s unique strategic airlift capability, which is delivering hundreds of tons of urgently needed equipment to where it is needed quickly and efficiently.

Ministers discussed the importance of countering increasing levels of disinformation and propaganda by state and non-state actors. Allies are working closely together to identify, monitor and expose these lies.

Ministers also considered the long-term implications of the crisis for NATO, its operations and its core mission to protect its almost one billion citizens. NATO is committed to ensuring this health crisis does not develop into a security crisis by maintaining a strong deterrence and defence.

NATO defense ministers have reviewed the alliance’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and agreed upon the next steps to take, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.

Stoltenberg held a virtual news conference in Brussels today after an online meeting of alliance defense ministers. Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper attended the defense ministers meeting from his Pentagon office.

Alliance members are cooperating in reacting to the pandemic just as if an enemy had attacked a NATO member, the secretary general said. “COVID-19 represents an unprecedented challenge to our nations,” he added. “It has a profound impact on our people and our economies, and it is imposing historic shocks on the international system, which could have long-term consequences.”

Allied officials planned against the pandemic and looked to the lessons that can be taken from the reaction to the viral plague, Stoltenberg said. He noted that in each country, the military is playing a key role in support of civilian efforts against the pandemic. “And using NATO mechanisms, allies have been helping each other to save lives,” he added.

The NATO command — led by the supreme allied commander for Europe, Air Force Gen. Tod D. Wolters — was tasked with coordinating military support among the 30 allies. The general briefed the defense ministers on the NATO response.

“Military forces from across the Alliance have flown more than 100 missions to transport medical personnel, supplies and treatment capabilities, facilitated the construction of 25 field hospitals, added more than 25,000 treatment beds and deployed over 4,000 military medical personnel in support of civilian efforts,” Stoltenberg said. “Today, I encouraged all allies to make their capabilities available so General Wolters can coordinate further support.”

He said the pandemic is in different stages of infection in different NATO nations. This means that effectively coordinating resources makes a real difference, he said.

The pandemic is not the only concern for the NATO leaders, as missions of deterrence and defense must continue, Stoltenberg said.

“The bottom line is that security challenges have not diminished because of COVID-19,” he said. “On the contrary, potential adversaries will look to exploit the situation to further their own interests. Terrorist groups could be emboldened.”

The security situations in Afghanistan and Iraq remain fragile, and Russia continues its pace and threats, Stoltenberg noted. 

“We must maintain our deterrence and defense because our core mission remains the same: to ensure peace and stability,” the secretary general said. “While we continue to take all the necessary measures to protect our armed forces, our operational readiness remains undiminished, and our forces remain ready, vigilant and prepared to respond to any threat.”

The alliance also is actively guarding against state and nonstate disinformation stemming from the pandemic. U.S. officials said that Russia has been using the crisis to its own ends and wants the United States to abandon NATO and weaken the alliance. 

“We are countering these false narratives with facts and with concrete actions,” Stoltenberg said. “We are also working even closer with allies and the European Union to identify, monitor and expose disinformation, and to respond robustly.”

The defense ministers also looked at the long-term implications of the coronavirus, as the geopolitical effects of the pandemic could be significant, Stoltenberg said.

“Some may seek to use the economic downturn as an opening to invest in our critical industries and infrastructure, which in turn may affect our long-term security and our ability to deal with the next crisis  when it comes,” he said.

It is still early to draw conclusions from these long-term discussions, Stoltenberg said, and discussions about them will continue. The defense ministers did agree, however, on a set of recommendations to strengthen the alliance’s resilience.

Alliance members will update existing baseline requirements for civil preparedness, based on the lessons from the crisis. They also pledged to work even closer with international partners, Stoltenberg said.

NATO has adapted to change throughout its history and will continue to do so, Stoltenberg said. NATO was laser-focused on countering the Soviet Union during the Cold War, but adapted to the change once that threat dissolved. It changed again in response to the Balkan crisis and to the attack on the United States by terrorists in 2001. It changed yet again when Russia illegally annexed Crimea and continues to wage war in eastern Ukraine. 

The pandemic is another enemy, he said, and the alliance will adapt. But that doesn’t mean the alliance will be the first responder for the crisis.

“We should support the civilian efforts to fight this health crisis,” the secretary general said. “We see around the whole world and across all NATO allies that military personnel are playing a key role in the fight.”

Military airlift has been essential in the fight against the coronavirus, and military personnel are doing everything from disinfecting public spaces to controlling border crossings. NATO is helping to mobilize and coordinate support to NATO allied countries.

The main lesson so far is “a close link between the civilian efforts to fight the health crisis and the ability of the military to support those efforts,” the secretary general said. “That’s exactly what we also have to look into how we can do even better when the next crisis hits us,” he added.

NATO cannot change its core responsibility to defend member states, but there are good reasons to look into how to further strengthen the cooperation between the civilian society combating a health crisis and military capabilities providing support to those civilian efforts, he said.

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A dedicated EU military task force will be set up to support the coordination of the national armed forces in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. However, it is yet unclear whether and how efforts could be coordinated on EU-NATO level to avoid duplication.

EU’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell, after a meeting with EU defence ministers on Monday (13 April), tasked the European External Action Service (EEAS) “to explore how we could use the military expertise at EU level to support exchange of information and sharing of best practices among member states”.

For that a dedicated task force is to be set up within the EEAS structures, led by the European Union Military Staff (EUMS), to “temporarily support and facilitate information exchange on national military assistance in support of civilian authorities to help fight the coronavirus pandemic,” Borrell said.

The new task force is meant to cooperate with the EU’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC), a core part of the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism, that coordinates the delivery of assistance to disaster stricken countries, such as relief items, expertise, civil protection teams and specialised equipment.

However, it is still unclear when the task force is meant to take up its work.

“This will be done in full coordination and complementarity with NATO – I can assure you that there will be no duplication of work,” said Borrell. “But it is important that we, Europeans, work together to ensure a coordination effort and a mutual support where is needed, in full solidarity.”

As NATO in recent weeks has significantly stepped up its efforts to support its member states in the fight against COVID-19, experts have questioned the EU’s slow practical response on the matter.

In early April, NATO foreign ministers tasked Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), General Tod Wolters, with coordinating the air transport of medical equipment and personnel across Europe.

One of his tasks was to implement simplified procedures for rapid air mobility, in coordination with Eurocontrol, the pan-European, civil-military organisation dedicated to supporting European aviation, using the NATO call sign and clearance for military relief flights.

Known as Rapid Air Mobility (RAM), the initiative is part of NATO’s wider so-called military mobility effort to boost the deployability of allied troops and assets.

Before then members largely acted upon their own initiative, with the military alliance primarily working to coordinate the acquisition of protective medical equipment through the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Relief Coordination Centre (EADRCC).

Asked by EURACTIV, whether there are plans to join forces on EU-NATO level, the EU’s Chief diplomat answered: “For sure, this is what it is all about. What we have decided is to increase the exchange of information and the coordination between our capacities and the needs required here and there.”

“The Secretary General of NATO [Jens Stoltenberg] has been in touch with me to explain their plans and we will cooperate with them according to the requirements arising from this this coordination procedure,” Borrell added.

Asked the same question by EURACTIV, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed that “NATO and the European Union are complementing each other.”

The Pentagon believes that this week’s incident involving a Russian Su-35 fighter jet and a US P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft over the Mediterranean Sea was unprofessional but not intentional, the commander of US European Command Air Force General Tod D. Wolters said on Thursday.

“It was obviously unfortunate as you can imagine. I’ve looked at the footage. I’ve studied the intent, and my conclusion at this point is that it was probably something that was more along the lines of unprofessional as opposed to deliberate,” Wolters said. “We have an investigation that’s ongoing … Our US mission in Moscow has obviously already initiated a conversation with the powers to be in Moscow to make sure that they are very, very aware of our dissatisfaction with the event.

The US Navy in a statement on April 15 said a Russian Su-35 fighter jet conducted a high-speed maneuver in front of a US P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft during an intercept over the Mediterranean Sea.

The statement said the intercept lasted approximately 42 minutes and that the Russian aircraft was operating in international airspace.

The Navy said the US aircraft was operating in accordance to international law and did not provoke the Russian aircraft.

Below is a full rush transcript of the press conference by General Tod Wolters  U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) Commander and NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe.

General Wolters:  As you well know, I’ve got the distinct privilege of wearing two hats.  One is the Commander of U.S. European Command, and the other as the Supreme Allied Commander for Europe.  I’ll speak underneath both those hats, and make sure, if we have any discrepancies based off which hat I’m talking from, I’ll clarify that with you. 

With respect to the COVID pandemic, first and foremost, our sincere condolences to all who have suffered from the tragic loss of life as a result of COVID-19.  We grieve with you. 

Even as the NATO military forces continue to deliver effective deterrence and defense – and we are laser-focused on that delivery – we are still conducting operations, our forces remain ready, and all of this is crucial as work continues to progress. 

Allies continue to stand close together and support each other, especially during these trying times, and we do so through different NATO arrangements, and we’ve done so and will continue to do so via bilateral arrangements.   

Allied armed forces across the Alliance are also playing an essential role in supporting national civilian efforts.  For NATO we continue to use the Rapid Air Mobility initiative in cooperation with the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation, and that’s EUROCONTROL.  This allows for expeditious delivery of life-saving equipment and personnel to the critical point of need. 

Also, using multiple means such as the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Center, the NATO Support and Procurement Agency, Strategic Airlift International Solution, which is SALIS, and Strategic Airlift Capability, we’re able to lift and shift critical assets and get them to the vital point of need.  Again, that vital point of need varies in time and location. 

Our shared values across all of the NATO Alliance are what keeps us going through these difficult times.  I truly believe that this pandemic has brought us closer together.  

Let me take just a second to share with you what United States forces have done in our area versus COVID-19.  At this point I’m speaking to you with my U.S.-EUCOM hat.  Across the European theatre we provided for over $500,000 in essential equipment and medical supplies from the U.S. Department of Defense stocks within Italy alone.  We’ve leveraged long-standing bilateral relationships to coordinate access to supplies in Luxembourg.  Under NATO’s lead we’ve joined with allies to lift much-needed medical supplies from the Pacific to Romania. 

On the 10th of April the U.S. President authorized contributions of $4.7 million to fund locally procured personal protective equipment requirements.  U.S. European Command has 10 quick reaction projects in execution, delivering $150,000 in PPE to 8 different locations.  And as we speak, we’ve got eight more projects in the works. 

Just this week we transferred three Americans from Kabul, Afghanistan to Ramstein Air Base, Germany, and onward to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany for the treatment of COVID-19.  This was a first for our U.S. Department of Defense from Afghanistan to Europe. 

None of these events would have been possible without the trust and confidence and coordination between allies and partners.  This is proof that the Alliance remains ready and capable to support one another in these tough, tough times of need. 

Lastly, before I close, I want to underscore the importance of credible information.  As military forces, we have an obligation to be truthful, timely, and accurate in what we say and what we do, and that’s exactly what we continue to do here, from a U.S. perspective, and certainly from a European perspective.  It’s part of our democratic values system.  Transparency is vital right now.  Neutralizing misinformation and delivering accurate and truthful facts is paramount.  Our partnership and trust with one another is steadfast, and it will remain so long after COVID-19 is over with. 

Question :  Moscow calls for a commitment on the part of both Russia and NATO to significantly limit the scope of military exercises and trainings for the duration of the pandemic.  They seem to take the idea very seriously.  Is this something that NATO would be willing to consider?  If no, why not?  What needs to happen for this to become a reality?” 

General Wolters:  The first thing I’ll say is, as the Allied Command Operations Commander representing NATO, we and our commanders remain laser-focused on preserving our capability to adequately deter and defend in Europe.  And we remain laser-focused in that area, and we certainly possess the capability to effectively deter and defend today.  And that is mission one. 

Our second concern is, obviously, the health of all the citizens that we swore to protect, and we remain laser-focused in that area.  In so doing, we will ensure that, as a NATO, we preserve our incredible capability to effectively deter and defend, and we will not take our eye off the ball with respect to that capability. 

Question:  I spoke last week with Deputy Secretary General Geoana, and he said that you will be presenting to ministers of defense some innovative solutions for them to consider and maybe adopt.  Can you tell us a little bit more about it?

General Wolters:  One of the things that we will most likely be tasked to do by NATO towards our SHAPE headquarters is to provide inputs in the near and long term for a pandemic response plan, and a part of having an effective plan is to make sure that we go back and after-action review all that has taken place with respect to lessons learned from pandemic coronavirus 19.  So we will gather all of the facts, and ensure that we can marshal our planners together, and look for ways that we can be more credible in serving our citizens from a military perspective, while we always focus on deterring and defending, and also from a health perspective, to ensure that all of our citizens are in good shape when it’s all said and done. 

There will be thousands and thousands of inputs to that plan, and we want that plan to be comprehensive in its service to the health of our citizens.  And our pledge to NATO is we will do that.  Thank you. 

Question:  Can you describe Russian disinformation efforts that have taken advantage of the pandemic to try and divide the NATO Alliance?” 

General Wolters:  We’ve heard information in open press that addresses some of the medical goods that have been delivered by certain NATO nations to other NATO nations.  And Russia has attempted to insert themselves in that information transaction and downplay the importance of one nation in NATO providing PPE equipment to another.  And that in itself is a form of disinformation. 

We’ve also seen cases where Russia has delivered goods to European nations, and there have been many open press reports that those goods are flawed.   

What we owe our citizens is to ensure that we tell the truth.  And part of a misinformation campaign starts with the trust and confidence that citizens have in what you transmit.  And we want to make sure that we continue to stick with our democratic values and stay very, very laser-focused on the facts so that our forces understand exactly what we’re doing, and anybody that attempts to provide malign influence to our forces must understand that we’re in the business of passing on the facts, not falsehoods. 

Question:  You know that the medical supplies that Russians have sent to Italy have been accompanied by military Russian personnel, and also intelligence personnel.  Do you think that the presence of these kinds of operatives on NATO territory represents a security risk for NATO?  And should the Italian Government have been more cautious in accepting this kind of so-called help? 

General Wolters:  I can tell you that I remain very, very focused on those transactions.  And again, that’s a decision, with respect to the Italian Government, that you would have to take up with them.  I am very aware of those transactions.  It is of concern.  I pay very close attention to Russian malign influence.  I pay very close attention to Russian influence.  And we have to make sure that we have all the facts.  It is a concern.  We remain very, very vigilant in NATO with respect to those transactions, and we continue to monitor to the highest degree. 

Question:   Due to the coronavirus pandemic, some exercises have been modified or canceled.  Are there plans to change, postpone, or cancel other exercises scheduled this year – for example, BALTOPS?

General Wolters:  As for now, BALTOPS is still ongoing and it’s a classic case where we have an exercise on the horizon in the June and July timeframe, and with each passing second of the day we’re taking a look at each and every one of our activities to make sure that we can preserve, potentially, as many as possible, and when we think it’s feasible based off the size of the exercise, the complexity of the exercise, the location of the exercise, obviously the time of the exercise, we’re willing to make adjustments.  And a lot of that has to do with what are the learning objectives, what is our ability to adequately get everybody together of sound mind and comfort to where they can remain laser-focused on the mission.   

So we will be – we will be constantly adjusting the scope and scale of our exercises, as we have been for the last 70 to 80 days, to make sure if there is an ability to execute the exercise in its totality, we will attempt to keep it on track, and if there is no ability to do so, we’ll look at cancellation or postponement, and depending upon, again, the size, the cost, the location, we will continue to adjudicate. 

My goal is also, as the SHAPE commander from a NATO perspective, to ensure that those exercises that unfortunately we’ve had to cancel or postpone, we’ll go back and take a look at all the critical objectives that we wanted to garner out of each and one of those – each and every one of those exercises and make sure that our field commanders is aware of what we suspect would have been the lessons learned for those exercises, and we’ll go through a strong commanders conference to make sure that any potential lessons learned, we’ll try to pull out of them what we thought we would have pulled out of them to make sure that we can remind all of our forces of all the things that are involved to ensure that we can adequately deter and defend.  And again, that’s the purpose of having those exercises – to improve our deterrence and defense posture. 

Question:  I am wondering if you could tell me anything more about the incident in the last couple of days about a Russian Su-35 harassing a Navy P-8 over the Mediterranean.  I’m wondering if you believe that this is part of Moscow taking advantage of the pandemic to harass our planes.  What do you think is there aim in doing something like this?  

General Wolters:  I know that you’re very familiar with what happened between the Su and the P-8.  It was obviously unfortunate.  As you can imagine, I’ve looked at footage, I’ve studied the intent, and my conclusion at this point is that it was probably something that was more along the lines of unprofessional as opposed to deliberate.  We have an investigation that’s ongoing.  As you well know, we do that in every case and our U.S. Mission in Moscow has obviously already initiated a conversation with the powers that be in Moscow to make sure that they’re very, very aware of our dissatisfaction with the event. 

But we’ll continue to take a closer look at it, Lara, but at this point I can tell you that it’s been characterized as unsafe and unprofessional, and that’s exactly what it looks to be at this point. 

Question:  You mentioned that EUCOM is still conducting operations.  Can you talk in a little more detail about how the pandemic has influenced the conduct of U.S. military operations in Europe and offer a few concrete examples of any changes you’ve instituted or measures you’ve taken to facilitate missions being carried out? 

General Wolters:  we’re adjusting every day.  The classic U.S. example that I can pass on to you that displays what we probably have lost from a training perspective goes back to DEFENDER-Europe 20.  And as you recall, it involved 18 nations.  As a result of reducing the number of U.S. troops that we brought from CONUS to Europe, we had a reduction of – in sheer size of the nations that were involved.  So instead of having 18 nations involved with DEFENDER-Europe 20, it’s much, much less than that. 

But with each and every passing day, we’re looking for the opportunity to take those 5,700 to 6,200 U.S. soldiers that we have on European soil to make sure that they get as much of the pre-prescribed DEFENDER-Europe 20 training as they can possibly get.  Will they get it all?  No, and it’ll be with a smaller footprint.  But we’re trying as hard as we can to squeeze out every second of the day and ensure that each and every one of the troops that we have invested already in DEFENDER-Europe 20 can maximize their training.   

We’re doing that in all of the other exercises, and as you would well imagine, Nick, the critical missions that we have ongoing from the U.S. perspective and from the NATO perspective continue to remain intact.  And as – in NATO, as we look at NATO air policing, as we look at the standing naval maritime groups, as we look at the enhanced forward presence with the battalion-sized battle groups that are in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, all those missions remain on track as does KFOR and Resolute Support.   

So we’re working very, very hard to squeeze as much as we can out of what we have available, but we have preserved all of the operational missions, and those exercises that we’ve had to postpone or cancel, we’re looking at the innovative ways that we can squeeze as much learning out of each and every one of those events as possible. 

Question:  I would like to return to the question of disinformation.  NATO defense ministers expressed concern and the secretary general yesterday did the same, but what practical measures NATO has against this disinformation to deter disinformation?  The secretary general yesterday told that Russia is keeping its pace in military activity and continuing to support separatists in Ukraine.  What NATO could do for Ukrainian partners in this time? 

General Wolters:  With respect to disinformation.  Part of all this is the trait called “telling the truth.”  So when we discover, because we’re very aware and we’re paying attention, that somebody – a malign influencer outside of Europe – is attempting to pass on disinformation, we have to have a sensing system that recognizes that falsehood and is prepared to counter that disinformation with the truth and with the facts.  So that’s part of it. 

The other part of this disinformation is your ability to effectively deter, and part of that has to do with your field commanders and your operators and your maintainers and your mission supporters and your medical specialists understanding what it is their forces are effectively doing to improve health and to improve our ability to deter and defend.  And we have asked all those uniformed military members and their supporting casts to be knowledgeable and equipped to tell the truth also about their great accomplishments, because that in itself is telling the truth and it’s part of more effective deterrence and defense, and it’s also part of improving the mental disposition and health of our forces. 

So it’s two-pronged: number one, recognize when you have malign influencers and they’re telling falsehoods, and point those out and correct that to 100 percent; and number two, taking the time to talk about your operations, your activities, your investments, what you’re doing from a health perspective to positively influence the good outcome of all your forces. 

With respect to the second part of your question, which has to do with operations in the vicinity of the Ukraine, we’re very, very focused on deterrence and defense along Eastern Europe, and our NATO nations that are part and parcel and abut those boundaries are very, very focused on deterrence and defense, and none of our ability has been impaired with respect to how well we command and control and how well we provide indications and warnings in those areas. 

General Wolters:  Again, Justin, to the team, thanks for taking the time to do this.  And I have to foot-stomp that last question, which was very, very sage.  Telling the truth is part of our democratic values system, and we’re doing a good job of that.  We’re laser-focused at the Supreme Headquarters for Allied Powers Europe to make sure that we can effectively deter and defend and protect the sovereignty in air, land, sea, space, and cyber for all of our nations, and we’ll continue to remain laser-focused on deterring and defending. 

The NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) continues to play an important role in response to the COVID-19 global pandemic, by assisting NATO Allies and partners with key relief acquisition and transport. NSPA has recently delivered to Italy the first two of sixteen acquired Intensive Care Units ventilators. It has also delivered the first batch of personal protective equipment to Spain and various medical supplies to Norway, including masks, gloves, goggles and other protective medical equipment.

The NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) brings together NATO’s logistics support and procurement activities, providing multinational support solutions and integrated capabilities for the Alliance, its nations and partners. NSPA is a customer-funded agency, operating on a “no profit – no loss” basis. NSPA is headquartered in Luxembourg, with main operational centres in France, Hungary and Italy and outstations in Kosovo and Afghanistan. The Agency employs around 1,550 staff and oversees over 2,500 contractors in NATO’s missions across the world. The NSPA is the executive body of the NATO Support and Procurement Organisation (NSPO).

This is all part of the hybrid and cyber warfare that we see constantly within our alliance, trying to sow not only discontent but trying to devalue our leadership at a time when our publics need to look to our leadership for the protection and the help that they need.  So we are vigorously pushing back and we think that we can even do more through the alliance in a concerted way to say, “Knock off the disinformation in this humanitarian crisis” U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO Ambassador Kay Bailey Hutchison has told reporters on Tuesday in “FPC” Washington, D.C.

We are concerned about disinformation that is being put forward by Russia and China about how this all started, and I think there is a lot of criticism of our different government leaders trying to sow discontent in our alliance and with our partners.  And we at NATO, this is one of the areas where we are asking all of our allies to push back with the facts.  NATO will do the same.  And we also think we can do better for learning from this experience.  No one thought that our adversaries would try to sow discontent at a time like this, but they have and they’ve also falsely reported that they are trying to help.  They have falsely reported that this virus started either in Europe or in the United States, depending on which outlet is providing disinformation.  All of this is absolutely false and we are trying to answer the misinformation with facts, She said. 

Below is a full rush transcript of the press conference by Ambassador  Kay Bailey Hutchison, U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO. 

AMBASSADOR HUTCHISON:  Thank you, We are looking forward to having all of our defense ministers in a meeting tomorrow – virtual, of course, because no one is traveling.  But we do think this is a very important time to have an emergency-called meeting because of the way the COVID-19 is affecting all of our countries, and something that we are addressing right now, but we’re also looking to plan for the future so that if we have another situation in which we have a pandemic that affects all of our countries at the same time, we will have even more capabilities to help each other. 

We are helping each other.  Allies are adding so much equipment and aid to other allies, especially where the hot spots are in Europe and in the United States, and Canada of course.  And we are really pleased that NATO could have a strong role in transporting equipment, because we do have those capabilities in Europe, and particularly now, NATO is the central point where allies can call and say what they need, and NATO can find the transportation and coordinate getting equipment and help for our countries. 

Let me say that we have also our missions that are ongoing throughout the world.  Afghanistan is a mission, of course, where we are focusing on troop protection and making sure that our forces are safe when they’re in the field.  The mission that we have in Iraq has been put on hold because Iraq has been affected by the virus, and – the situation in Iran where the virus is very much a problem and it has gone over into Iraq.  And then, of course, we have Kosovo, an enhanced forward presence in Europe where we are taking all the measures that we possibly can to protect our troops wherever they are in Europe or in the Middle East.           

It is also, I think – the last point I will make – it’s very important that we also – and I think Secretary Esper will stress this tomorrow as well – that we look at the role defense has played in the response of all of our countries.  We have seen in America our military building pop-up hospitals, trying to make sure that we have not only equipment, but also transportation and military personnel who are so experienced in trying to serve people in time of need.  And our military personnel have stepped up to the plate in all of our alliance, doing the things that our people need to do, that our publics need to have.   

And we’re very proud that NATO could play a part, but also I want to emphasize that the defense spending that we have increased in the last few years is making us more ready and more capable to help our publics in this great time — that they have called on the military for the added help that our health care systems just couldn’t provide with this pandemic situation.  So I’m very pleased that we will have the defense ministerial tomorrow, and I look forward to answering any questions that you might have today.   

QUESTION:  The NATO secretary general this morning made clear that he thinks going forward there are important lessons to be learned about national resilience.  I wonder what your thought is about that and whether that is something for NATO to be involved in, and particularly whether you – where you see any weak spots or strong spots in resilience from this ? 

AMBASSADOR HUTCHISON:  I think there is a unique role that NATO can play in planning for the future.  All of us were surprised that we would have a pandemic affecting every one of our countries at the same time.  Normally we would have a regional issue and we would address that all together, but now we are going to learn from this experience that we have to be prepared for something that could affect us so totally at the same time.  So we are going to ask our NATO leaders and our military leaders to put forward plans from what we have learned in this.   

For instance, we are suggesting that we have a warehouse in which we would have nonperishable equipment, but the things that we all know we were short of in this epidemic.  And if we could have warehousing of that, which NATO certainly has the capability to do, and then if the NATO forces could inventory transport capabilities – that could be air, it could also be train, rail, it could be highway – but we have capabilities at NATO to coordinate something like this and get the equipment in much faster.  And I think what our military has shown is the ability to do these instant hospitals so that if we have large numbers of people affected, our military experience is going to show us how we can do this even more effectively and more quickly so that we are more prepared.   

So I think NATO is going to take a role.  I think we can look at this as a service for our publics.  This is a health care crisis, but it could be a security crisis as well.  It could be a security crisis if we let down on our defenses and deterrent activities.  Our adversaries will be watching to see if that is the case, which it is not at this time, but we can also prepare for that in the future.  But it could also be a security risk if this kind of eventuality is an eventuality that is used in warfare or to attack each other.  These are the things that we must learn from and prepare for, that it could be health care today but it could be defense tomorrow.  

QUESTION:  Albanian Government is so harsh on the people about lockdowns.  They’re asking 15 years in prison for the people getting out ? 

AMBASSADOR HUTCHISON:  Oh, I understand that this is harsh.  The national governments are able to make their own decisions, of course, on how they would punish people who are not wearing facemasks or who are not protecting not only themselves but people around them, and I think that has to be a sovereign decision.  I do think that the message is such an important one that we all have a responsibility to protect ourselves.  Even if we don’t have formal masks, I think the makeshift coverings of our faces are also very important.  I thought – I think many people are giving good examples.  Our First Lady is giving a good example of wearing a mask and how you would put one on, and I think that our leaders need to reinforce this very important safety measure that it not only protect each individual but it affect all of the people around us.  We know that this is an airborne, unsee-able virus, but it is having a deadly impact and it is incumbent on all of us to listen to our leaders, to take their example, and to go forward helping each other in this very important but very easily accomplished way. 

QUESTION:  Now, with the outbreak which is present basically everywhere, including military bases and recently it’s even present on board of Navy ships, not to mention the aircraft carrier, is U.S. military and NATO in general fully operational?  Does it still have full capabilities?  And aren’t you afraid that some bad actors might try to use this crisis to their benefit? 

AMBASSADOR HUTCHISON:  I think that, again, this is very important.  Our adversaries are watching.  Our military is ready and all of our missions — except for Iraq, which is temporarily on pause – but we are ready to go.  We are continuing to do our deterrence and defense capabilities and our adversaries should be put on notice that we could certainly respond to any kind of aggressive measure that might be taken. 

At the same time, we are also trying to help each other.  We are trying to make sure that in a humanitarian crisis we are doing everything we can to support our troops who are in the field doing these jobs, so we’re taking every measure.  For instance, in Afghanistan, if there are troops coming in, they have a 14-day quarantine before they enter.  We are working very hard to assure that our troops do have that backup and it’s very hard in some instances when our troops are used to working together, living together, and we’re working through that.  But make no mistake:  Our deterrence is absolutely intact and ready to respond to any military crisis that we might face. 

QUESTION:  There was an interesting piece by the Atlantic Council President and CEO Frederick Kempe a couple of weeks ago proposing that the U.S. invoke Article 5 of the NATO treaty on – for COVID-19, as was done after the 11th of September, the 9/11 terrorist attacks ?

AMBASSADOR HUTCHISON:  Well, the only time Article 5 has been invoked of course was after 9/11.  I think all of us are coming together right now to fight COVID, and they are – COVID, the virus, is our enemy, but there has been no discussion of an Article 5 being necessary because we are already coming together to help each other and try to provide the provisions that our separate countries need.  And I think we’re in different phases in our different countries on the enormity of the situation.  Most certainly the United States is now topping all of our allies in numbers of deaths, and so we are focused on trying to make sure that our Americans are taken care of, and we’re reaching out – our President, our governors are all reaching out to do the most that we can, and our military has stepped up to the plate.  Our National Guard and our active duty military are filling in where hospital workers are overworked and strained and sparse.  

And I think all of us are saluting our health care workers wherever we are.  Every one of our allies now has health care workers in the field and our military are in many instances helping them and augmenting the services they are providing. 

So there hasn’t been a formal Article 5 on this virus, but there certainly is an informal one that all of us are allied and fighting together. 

QUESTION:  I have a question as a follow-up to this morning press conference of Secretary Stoltenberg.  He said that one of the major topics for discussion will be disinformation.  And can you please give us first your perception of what disinformation campaign is going on now, what kind of it, from what countries, what examples?  And second, what practical measures could NATO take to deter this disinformation, to fight it? 

AMBASSADOR HUTCHISON:  I think that is a very valid observation.  We are concerned about disinformation that is being put forward by Russia and China about how this all started, and I think there is a lot of criticism of our different government leaders trying to sow discontent in our alliance and with our partners.  And we at NATO, this is one of the areas where we are asking all of our allies to push back with the facts.  NATO will do the same.  And we also think we can do better for learning from this experience.  No one thought that our adversaries would try to sow discontent at a time like this, but they have and they’ve also falsely reported that they are trying to help.  They have falsely reported that this virus started either in Europe or in the United States, depending on which outlet is providing disinformation.  All of this is absolutely false and we are trying to answer the misinformation with facts. 

This is all part of the hybrid and cyber warfare that we see constantly within our alliance, trying to sow not only discontent but trying to devalue our leadership at a time when our publics need to look to our leadership for the protection and the help that they need.  So we are vigorously pushing back and we think that we can even do more through the alliance in a concerted way to say, “Knock off the disinformation in this humanitarian crisis.” 

QUESTION:  The North Macedonia started to use next-generation incident command system, NICS instrument for response in emergency situations.  Can you explain for all of us what is this instrument and how it works, especially for those countries in the Western Balkans who are dealing with the coronavirus? 

AMBASSADOR HUTCHISON:  we have already been able to send help, equipment to North Macedonia, and I was glad that – because you’ve been a member for just a few weeks, that you did call NATO and we were able to deliver equipment into your country.  Also, of course, you’re right – there has been a lot of this disinformation in North Macedonia and others in the Western Balkans because – and I have to say, that has been ongoing for a long time because Russia in particular has tried to sow disinformation, really tried to keep North Macedonia from seeking to be a member of NATO and then when the accession was accepted has continued to put disinformation into North Macedonia, which we are trying to direct against with the facts that North Macedonia is being supported by NATO.  They are a full-fledged member of NATO, they are an ally, and we are helping them in this crisis, and we will continue to help them with the disinformation that is coming in from Russian sources.   

The first group went into Montenegro, one of the neighbors for North Macedonia.  And I think that those will be available to Northern Macedonia as well to prepare the North Macedonian media to repel these disinformation campaigns.   

So I should have answered that more fully about what you could expect, because we do have those working in Montenegro, and we will certainly look to answer requests from North Macedonia of these hybrid support teams to train the people there to repel these disinformation campaigns coming in.   

QUESTION:  I wanted to ask you, beyond cooperation there have also been some reports of tensions between NATO members.  So there have been these reports of the U.S. outbidding some European partners on some medical supplies and there has been some polemic on this issue.  Will this be tackled by the defense ministers tomorrow, or will it be tackled elsewhere by at some different levels? 

AMBASSADOR HUTCHISON:  Well, we have certainly tried to answer that ridiculous assertion, and it doesn’t even bear repeating that America would steal equipment from any other country, even one we didn’t like, but especially not our own allies and partners.  So that was repelled forcefully.  We hope it didn’t go very far.  But it is things like that that are just amazing that anyone would say something like that, but there are so many other things that are being said that seem ridiculous, but if people don’t have the facts, they can’t make the decision that this is something that would never happen.  

QUESTION:  How does assess – attacks by Taliban, which is continuous violence against ANDS, and what is the impact in the peace process?   foreign minister announced a one billion cut aid in Afghanistan.  Could you please give some information about this one billion cut?  Is cost for the military section, or it’s in the other part?  

AMBASSADOR HUTCHISON:  Let me say that all of our countries are looking forward and pushing forward for the Taliban to keep its word, both in spirit as well as in detail, that the violence would subside.  It has not, and we are calling on the Taliban, all of us, to lessen the violence, to cease fire, especially in this humanitarian crisis, when the people of Afghanistan are affected.  And most certainly the Afghan troops, who are fighting valiantly for the peace for their country, to have to have attacks against them by the Taliban is outrageous. 

On the other hand, the leadership of Afghanistan, the – President Ghani and Mr. Abdullah need to come together and show the strength of a unified government.  It will take that to start the peace process and for the Taliban to sit down with the government appointees, who are representative of the different factions and areas of Afghanistan.  The two leaders have both blessed that negotiating group as representative of the people of Afghanistan, and we call on the Taliban to stop the delays, to stop the violence, and to begin the peace process. 

Some progress was made this weekend with the exchange of prisoners.  That was part of the agreement that was made.  Those exchanges were made.  That is one step in the right direction.  We need all of the Afghan people to encourage their leaders and the Taliban to continue forward for the sit-down around the table of the Afghan people to make a peace that they can all live with so that they will have what they rightly deserve, which is freedom, human rights, equality, education for all in that country.   

That’s what we want for the people of Afghanistan, and none of us who are helping to bring that together want to be a factor that would be the deciding factor in that peace agreement.  We want the Afghan people to speak for their government, to be as it should be for them as they want it to be, and we’re very much hoping that all the sides can come together to begin that process in earnest. 

QUESTION:  Considering that all the GDPs of NATO countries are now probably going to decrease, and also many citizens will probably like their governments to spend rather on health or social issues, you think NATO would also have to adapt the message on defense expenditure? 

AMBASSADOR HUTCHISON:  I think it will be more important than ever for our defense expenditures to stay at the higher levels that we have committed to do.  All of us have committed to increase defense spending.  And we need to continue to keep those commitments, because we now see that, first of all, security is our most important asset.  That is what makes for the democracies and the peace that we all live in.   

And secondly, I think we have seen that the defense spending has been such an important part of the response in this humanitarian crisis, in this health care crisis.  And the defense techniques for dealing with the pandemic have been an asset to all of our countries.  So both our partners, as you are, and our allies – I think the defense spending is going to be essential that we keep in our priorities, and that all of us have also gotten such a benefit from the added military component of the response that I think that in itself would say that we need to keep that training and that equipment ready to go for any kind of pandemic or defense capability that we would need in the future.  That’s what we’re doing together.  

After deploying to Norway for the multinational exercise Cold Response 2020, NATO AWACS aircraft were quickly reassigned to support Air Policing and Deterrence operations in the area when the exercise was cancelled over coronavirus fears.

“Flexibility, responsiveness, and excellence are the hallmarks of the NATO Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) Force, and are the reason we continue to be an outstanding example of NATO capability and unity, and of what the now 30 NATO Nations can achieve when working together,” said the Force Commander, Major General Jӧrg Lebert.

The NATO AWACS team from NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen, Germany, were operating from their Norwegian Forward Operating Location (FOL) Orland, providing Air Battle Management and Surveillance support to confirm NATO’s capability and operational readiness to operate under harsh arctic conditions during exercise Cold Response 20.

When Norway cancelled the exercise over coronavirus concerns, the deployed AWACS crews and maintainers from Geilenkirchen were preparing to return to their Main Operating Base in Geilenkirchen. However, as the COVID-19 crisis developed, plans were made to delay their return, making use of the facilities provided at one of its four Forward Bases, say NATO in a release.

“This decision proved to be a good one, as an increase in the need for Air Policing capability in the northern NATO area required the deployed crews to quickly switch from their training mode in order to fly real-world operations,” said the Deployment Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Bengt Bergan, Royal Norwegian Air Force.

“Demonstrating the significant role NATO AWACS plays in the deterrence and defence of SACEUR’s Area of Operations, the Geilenkirchen team, together with the host nation’s FOL personnel, were immediately available to support operational tasks as two combat-ready multi-national crews and two combat-ready NATO AWACS aircraft were launched to support Allied Air Command tasks,” he added.