17 December 1998
(Final communique of Dec. 17 ministerial meeting, Brussels) (1460) Brussels -- NATO's Defense Planning Committee and Nuclear Planning Group issued a final communique following their December 17 ministerial meeting, and also approved the 1998 Ministerial Guidance, a key NATO defense planning document. At the meeting, the communique said, "We reaffirmed that the transatlantic link, and the enduring commitment to collective defense ... will continue to ensure the credibility and effectiveness of the Alliance, and its ability to meet the full range of its missions and to enhance stability and security throughout the Euro-Atlantic area." The ministers noted that they "have adopted a five-year force plan which addresses the requirements of the changing security environment.... We also reviewed the defense plans of the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland.... We are confident that they have adapted their plans to meet the requirements of future Alliance membership and, as Allies, will make valuable contributions to NATO's capabilities." Additionally, "We reaffirmed the fundamentally political role of the Alliance's nuclear forces, as described in the Strategic Concept: to preserve peace and prevent coercion and any kind of war." The ministers urged the Russian Federation to ratify START II "so that the benefits of that treaty may be reaped and negotiations on a START III treaty can be set in train," and called upon Russia "to bring to completion the reductions in its tactical nuclear weapons announced in 1991 and 1992, and to further review its tactical nuclear weapons stockpile with a view towards making additional significant reductions." They also welcomed "the inclusion of nuclear weapons issues into the 1999 work program for consultations between NATO and Russia under the auspices of the Permanent Joint Council." Following is the text of the final communique: (Begin text) NATO PRESS COMMUNIQUE 17 Dec. 1998 Ministerial meeting of the Defense Planning Committee and the Nuclear Planning Group Final Communique The Defense Planning Committee and the Nuclear Planning Group of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization met in Ministerial Session in Brussels on 17th December. We looked forward to the forthcoming Summit in Washington next Spring as an important milestone for the Alliance. We anticipate that the Summit, among other things, will finalize the work on the Strategic Concept, which will guide our defense planning in the future. We reaffirmed that the transatlantic link, and the enduring commitment to collective defense, underpinned by the defense planning process and the integrated military structure of the Alliance, will continue to ensure the credibility and effectiveness of the Alliance, and its ability to meet the full range of its missions and to enhance stability and security throughout the Euro-Atlantic area. Defense planning on a collective basis continues to provide the essential framework within which national and Alliance defense planning are harmonized. We remain committed to ensuring that our planning process will continue to serve as a single, coherent system capable of generating the individual and collective capabilities needed for deterrence and collective defense; non-Article 5 crisis response operations; support for WEU-led operations; and cooperation with our Partners. Against this background, we approved the 1998 Ministerial Guidance. This key NATO defense planning document analyses the implications of the current strategic environment, reviews political, military and economic trends and their effects on the Allies' military capabilities, and provides political guidance to NATO's Military Authorities and to nations for the period up to 2006 and beyond, including for the development of NATO Force Goals in 2000. In order to develop the ESDI within the Alliance, NATO, as part of preparing for the full range of its missions, is ready, and continues to develop its ability, to support WEU-led operations. Ministerial Guidance also includes a contribution provided by the WEU. Ministerial Guidance addresses the military requirements needed to meet the emerging security challenges of the future. These include deployability, force effectiveness, interoperability, survivability, sustainability, information superiority, maintaining the Alliance's technological advantage, and, overall, our ability to conduct combined and joint operations, including those in which non-Allies would participate. The contribution made by multinational forces is also recognized. The Guidance continues to attach importance to the development of capabilities to address the whole range of risks arising from the proliferation of nuclear, biological or chemical weapons and their means of delivery. As part of Ministerial Guidance, we issued guidance on the resources needed for defense. The purpose of this resource guidance is to provide advice to nations on the financial effort required to undertake the full range of Alliance roles and missions and to enable the NATO Military Authorities to draw up force proposals within a realistic financial framework. Bearing in mind the complex demands of the full range of Alliance missions, we recognize the need, within the planning period, initially to stabilize defense spending, to address current shortfalls more effectively and, to the extent possible, to improve investment in key capability areas and in certain cases to reverse the overall decline in defense spending. We remain determined to seek the resources necessary to ensure that our forces remain properly manned, equipped, trained and sustained for the full spectrum of their Alliance roles and missions, taking into account increased requirements for standardization, improved mobility and transportability, and enhanced requirements for communication and information systems as well as reinforcement capabilities and to ensure an equitable sharing of defense burdens. We also recognize the importance of common efforts and common funding, which contribute to enhanced Alliance cohesion and emphasize solidarity. We are committed, therefore, to ensuring that sufficient resources are made available to handle the risks and challenges facing the Alliance and in particular to address NATO Force Goals and the requirements of NATO's common funded programs. We have reviewed national defense plans of Allies for the period 1999-2003 and beyond, and have adopted a five-year force plan which addresses the requirements of the changing security environment. We will continue to provide the forces and capabilities required for the full range of Alliance missions so that NATO is ready to respond effectively to present and future needs. We also reviewed the defense plans of the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland, in particular their plans to implement the Target Force Goals. We are confident that they have adapted their plans to meet the requirements of future Alliance membership and, as Allies, will make valuable contributions to NATO's capabilities. The process of enhancing their military capabilities, within the Alliance framework, will continue in subsequent force planning cycles, as it does for current Allies. We reaffirmed the fundamentally political role of the Alliance's nuclear forces, as described in the Strategic Concept: to preserve peace and prevent coercion and any kind of war. Nuclear forces play a unique and essential role in the Alliance strategy of war prevention. Their presence ensures uncertainty in the mind of any potential aggressor about the nature of the Allies' response to aggression. Thus, they contribute uniquely to demonstrating that aggression of any kind is not a rational option. We recognize that, in the current security environment, the circumstances in which any use of nuclear weapons might have to be contemplated are extremely remote. We confirmed that the Alliance's nuclear forces will be maintained at the minimum level sufficient to ensure achievement of Alliance political goals. We received with appreciation briefings by the United States and the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom reaffirmed its commitment to maintain a robust nuclear deterrent that would continue to operate in a NATO framework for the defense of the Alliance. The United States informed us on the status of bilateral negotiations with Russia on START II. In this regard, we continue to urge the Russian Federation to ratify START II so that the benefits of that treaty may be reaped and negotiations on a START III treaty can be set in train. We valued being briefed by the United States on the safety and security of the Russian nuclear stockpile, and noted with appreciation efforts undertaken by various NATO members to assist Russia in improving the storage of its nuclear weapons. We renewed our call upon Russia to bring to completion the reductions in its tactical nuclear weapons announced in 1991 and 1992, and to further review its tactical nuclear weapons stockpile with a view towards making additional significant reductions. We welcomed the inclusion of nuclear weapons issues into the 1999 work program for consultations between NATO and Russia under the auspices of the Permanent Joint Council. We look forward to a fruitful and more in-depth exchange and reiterated our conviction that such exchanges have an important role in increasing transparency and supporting the further development of mutual confidence between NATO and Russia. (End text)