Brussels, NATO HQ, 26 February 2025 - The Cooperative Security Division of the NATO International Military Staff (IMS) hosted the first of its 2025 Bi-annual Meetings with Partner Military Representatives. Participants from 22 NATO Partner Nations and the European Union Military Staff discussed the outcomes of the January 2025 Military Committee in Chiefs of Defence Session and NATO's continuing emphasis on Partners in the coming decades. The meeting was opened by the Director General of the International Military Staff, Lieutenant General Janusz Adamczak. The participants also met with the new Chair of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone.
Opening the meeting, Lieutenant General Adamczak underscored the importance of Partners and cooperative security to NATO. "In this crisis-ridden security environment, having and being reliable Partners is of utmost importance," he stated. The Director General of the IMS also touched upon the January 2025 Military Committee in Chiefs of Defence Session, noting that in total, 56 Allied and Partner military representatives attended the event.
After Lieutenant General Adamczak's introduction, the Director of the IMS Cooperative Security Division, Major General Dacian-Tiberiu Șerban, briefed on the ongoing efforts to improve NATO's interoperability with Partners. "Interoperability is a shared responsibility of all stakeholders, which include most NATO entities and requires a constant and comprehensive coordination of efforts," said Major General Șerban.
During the day, the Partner Military Representatives met also with the new Chair of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone. The Chair expressed his belief that NATO's Partnerships are core to NATO's mission. "In this complex world, security is not built in isolation but through strong and enduring Partnerships," Admiral Cavo Dragone declared, adding that he hoped to "connect and build personal relationships" with the Partners.
At the initiative of the IMS, and under the auspices of its Cooperative Security Division, this meeting with Partners is held biannually. It provides an informal setting for a constructive dialogue on Partnerships, military cooperation and other topics of common interest at the military-political level. NATO's previous Bi-annual Meeting with Partners occurred in November 2024.
