On 11 June 2024, a NATO Military Committee in Chiefs of Defence Session took place virtually at NATO Headquarters in Brussels. Allied Chiefs of Defence met with their counterparts from NATO's Operational Partners to discuss strengthening cooperation with Partners in NATO's Operations, Missions and Activities.
This CMC initiative focused on strengthening Operational Partners' engagement with Allies. The meeting reinforced that Partners' participation in NATO Operations, Missions, Training and Exercises strengthens military capabilities and capacities for all parties involved. Cooperation bolsters interoperability, resilience and trust amongst NATO and its Partners. Cooperative Security is one of NATO's three core tasks, and essentially underpins its other two core tasks: Collective Defence and Crisis Management.
The session saw Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Cavoli brief on the new Partner Augmentation Forces to NATO framework (PAF-N). This framework is a mechanism for identifying a pool of Partners who may qualify for augmenting NATO Allies as force multipliers, in support of NATO's three core tasks.
Chair of the NATO Military Committee Admiral Bauer highlighted that the new NATO Strategic Concept stipulates the crucial role Partners play in supporting the Alliance's 360-degree approach to security. Admiral Bauer emphasised how NATO and Partners work side by side to address shared security challenges and uphold the rules-based international order. Admiral Bauer underlined the importance of the Meeting of Allied and Operational Partners' Chiefs of Defence within the context of the upcoming NATO Summit in Washington DC in July.
The meeting underscored the importance of continuing to invest in building relations with Operational Partners, in light of the rapidly evolving global security environment. Partner's participation in NATO Operations, Missions and Training and Exercises, and leveraging two-way information sharing between NATO and Partners supports NATO's three core tasks.
