NATO Defence Ministerial concluded

The first day of the meeting opened with a discussion on Allied capabilities, which reviewed (at the strategic level) the results of reduced defence spending and its implications for the development of NATO defence capabilities in the post-2014 period,

NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen presented the Collective Report on Capability Targets within NATO Defence Planning Process. The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy joined the ministers for the initial discussion.

Among the topics of the meeting was cyber defence, with the emphasis placed on defining the future role of NATO in the domain.

At the working dinner the ministers considered the strategic guidelines related to the role of NATO in the post-2014 period which is to see reduced operational tempo. They focused on possible challenges of the time ahead and on how to ensure the required capabilities for future NATO operation, and how to maintain the existing level of interoperability with the partners attained through co-operation in the theatre.

The second day, 5th June 2013, featured the meeting of the NATO-Georgia Commission in the Defence Minister session on Georgian defence reforms planning and further possibilities of defence co-operation. The Georgian representatives presented the new guidelines of the Strategic Defence Review 2013.

Another agenda item was meeting with non-NATO ISAF contributing nations, with the NATO members endorsing the Concept of operations for the NATO mission in Afghanistan for the post-2014 period. The meeting was attended by the Afghan Defence Minister Bismillah Khan Muhammadi, the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Policy and Security, Baroness Catherine Ashton and the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General for Afghanistan, Jan Kubiš.
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