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Germany, Romania and the Czech Republic deepen defence ties
Wednesday (15 December 2017), Defence Ministers from Germany, Romania and the Czech Republic signed arrangements to deepen defence ties, a press release says. As part of this, the Czech Republic’s 4th Rapid Deployment Brigade and Romania’s 81st Mechanized Brigade will work closely with Germany’s 10 Armoured Division and Rapid Response Forces Division
Under NATO’s Framework Nation Concept, smaller armies can integrate their capabilities into an organizational structure provided by a larger ‘framework’ nation. “With these two arrangements, the Czech Republic and Romania each agree to contribute a brigade to a German-led multinational division,” said NATO Assistant Secretary General for Defence Investment Camille Grand during the formal signing ceremony. He added that the Framework Nations Concept brings a new dimension to the way NATO approaches multinational cooperation and capability development.
The three Allies will begin their cooperation through joint training and exercises starting this year. The new initiative is part of a broader drive to expand European defence cooperation in the margins of the meeting of NATO Defence Ministers in Brussels this week.
Defence Ministers agreed to create a new regional Hub for the South, based at NATO’s Joint Force Command in Naples, on Wednesday (15 February 2017). The Hub is one part of the Alliance’s response to threats stemming from the Middle East and North Africa. Ministers also discussed NATO’s Joint Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance capability and agreed to develop a follow-on capability for NATO AWACS planes after they retire around the year 2035.