DATE=5/12/99
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
NUMBER=5-43382
TITLE= NATO / FUTURE ROLE
BYLINE= ANDRE DE NESNERA
DATELINE= WASHINGTON
CONTENT=
VOICED AT: 

INTRO:  AS NATO CONTINUES TO BOMB YUGOSLAVIA, THE WESTERN 
ALLIANCE IS ALSO TRYING TO REDEFINE ITS ROLE AT A TIME WHEN ITS 
MAIN ADVERSARY -- THE SOVIET UNION --  NO  LONGER EXISTS.  
NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT ANDRE DE NESNERA LOOKS AT WHAT IS
IN STORE FOR NATO AS IT TRIES TO FIND ITS PLACE IN THE NEW 
MILLENNIUM. 

TEXT:  NATO'S AIR CAMPAIGN AGAINST YUGOSLAVIA HAS BEEN GOING ON 
FOR SEVEN-WEEKS.

NATO WARPLANES HAVE HIT STRATEGIC TARGETS SUCH AS COMMUNICATIONS 
FACILITIES, AMMUNITION DEPOTS, AIR DEFENSE SYSTEMS, AS WELL AS 
SERB FORCES IN THE INDEPENDENCE-MINDED KOSOVO PROVINCE.  

MEANWHILE, NATO HAS BEEN PLAGUED WITH A NUMBER OF INCIDENTS 
INVOLVING SO-CALLED  --COLLATERAL DAMAGE -- MILITARY JARGON FOR 
-- CIVILIAN TARGETS.  THE LATEST WAS THE BOMBING OF THE CHINESE 
EMBASSY IN BELGRADE AS WESTERN PLANNERS MISTOOK THE BUILDING FOR 
THE HEADQUARTERS OF A YUGOSLAV ARMS AGENCY. 

NATO OFFICIALS SAY THEY ARE EXTREMELY CAREFUL IN TRYING TO AVOID 
CIVILIAN TARGETS.  THEY ALSO SAY NATO AIR ATTACKS ARE BEGINNING 
TO HAVE A SIGNIFICANT EFFECT ON THE YUGOSLAV MILITARY.

THE WESTERN ALLIANCE HAS JUST CELEBRATED 50-YEARS OF EXISTENCE.  
AND EXPERTS SAY IT IS ESSENTIAL FOR NATO'S CREDIBILITY IN THE 
YEARS AHEAD TO STOP YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC'S 
CAMPAIGN AGAINST ETHNIC ALBANIANS IN KOSOVO.

ONE OF THOSE EXPERTS IS BRUCE JACKSON, PRESIDENT OF THE "UNITED 
STATES COMMITTEE ON NATO" -- A BI-PARTISAN FOREIGN POLICY 
RESEARCH GROUP.

                       // JACKSON ACT // 

         IT IS HARD TO AVOID THE CONCLUSION THAT THIS IS NATO'S 
         DEFINING MOMENT FOR ITS SECOND 50-YEARS IN THE SAME WAY 
         THAT KOREA REALLY DEFINED WHAT THE PREVIOUS GENERATION 
         WAS PREPARED TO DO AND THE SACRIFICES IT WAS PREPARED TO
         MAKE.  THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGE TO US 
         STRATEGICALLY -- BUT ALSO MORALLY AND IN TERMS OF THE 
         PURPOSES THE ALLIANCE WAS CREATED TO DEFEND.

                         // END ACT // 

NATO WAS CREATED 50-YEARS AGO AS A RESPONSE TO THE GROWING POWER 
OF THE SOVIET UNION AND THE MILITARY THREAT IT COULD POSE TO 
WESTERN EUROPE.

BUT FOR THE PAST 10-YEARS -- SINCE THE END OF THE COLD WAR, THE 
COLLAPSE OF THE BERLIN WALL, AND THE DISINTEGRATION OF THE WARSAW
PACT -- NATO HAS BEEN IN THE PROCESS OF REINVENTING ITSELF. 

NATO PLANNERS ARE TRYING TO COME UP WITH A NEW "STRATEGIC 
CONCEPT" WHICH WOULD DEFINE FUTURE MISSIONS FOR THE 19-MEMBER 
WESTERN ALLIANCE, SINCE MOSCOW  NO  LONGER POSES A DIRECT 
MILITARY THREAT.  EXPERTS SAY NATO COULD FOCUS ON PEACEKEEPING 
MISSIONS SUCH AS THE ONE IT CURRENTLY RUNS IN BOSNIA.

ANALYSTS SAY NATO LEADERS ALSO HAVE TO DECIDE WHETHER THE 
ALLIANCE WILL CONFINE ITS ACTIVITIES ONLY TO EUROPE OR WILL 
BROADEN ITS SCOPE TO INCLUDE CONFLICTS IN AREAS SUCH AS THE 
MIDDLE EAST AND NORTHERN AFRICA.  

ANDREW PIERRE IS A NATO EXPERT AT THE "UNITED STATES PEACE 
INSTITUTE.".  HE SAYS WHATEVER "STRATEGIC CONCEPT" NATO COMES UP 
WITH, THE UNITED STATES WILL CONTINUE TO PLAY A PREEMINENT ROLE 
IN THE WESTERN ALLIANCE -- AS IT IS DOING IN THE KOSOVO AIR 
CAMPAIGN.

                        // PIERRE ACT // 

         ONLY THE UNITED STATES HAS THE MILITARY CAPABILITIES TO,
         FOR EXAMPLE, USE CRUISE MISSILES, "TOMAHAWKS," AND SO ON
         OVER SERBIA OR KOSOVO.  WE HAVE THE WORLD'S LARGEST 
         LOGISTIC FORCE AND CAPABILITIES.  WE HAVE THE WORLD'S 
         BEST SATELLITES WHICH PROVIDE INTELLIGENCE ON WHAT IS 
         GOING ON ON THE GROUND.  SO THE U-S MILITARY ROLE IS 
         STILL EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.

                         // END ACT // 

WHILE WASHINGTON IS STILL THE MAIN FORCE IN NATO, EXPERTS SAY 
THERE HAVE BEEN CALLS -- IN EUROPE AND THE UNITED STATES -- FOR 
EUROPEANS TO PLAY A MUCH MORE ACTIVE ROLE IN THE WESTERN 
ALLIANCE.  ANALYSTS SAY NATO MUST ALSO ADDRESS THE QUESTION OF 
HAVING EUROPE SHARE MORE OF THE DEFENSE BURDEN -- ESPECIALLY 
SINCE NATO'S MAIN THEATER OF OPERATION IS EUROPE.

FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL MEMBER CHARLES KUPCHIN BELIEVES 
THE KOSOVO CRISIS IS THE HIGH WATER MARK OF AMERICAN ENGAGEMENT 
IN EUROPE.

                       // KUPCHIN ACT //  

         ONE OF THE LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES OF THIS (THE KOSOVO 
         CRISIS) IS THE CREATION OF A STRONGER POLITICAL CURRENT 
         IN CONGRESS THAT SAYS IT IS TIME FOR EUROPE TO DO MORE 
         ON ITS OWN.  AND THAT IS WHY I THINK THE MOVEMENT IN 
         EUROPE FOR A COMMON FOREIGN AND DEFENSE POLICY AND 
         (BRITISH PRIME MINISTER) TONY BLAIR'S INITIATIVE TO TRY 
         TO PUSH FORWARD ON THE DEFENSE FRONT IS VERY, VERY 
         IMPORTANT.  BECAUSE SOONER RATHER THAN LATER, SOMETHING 
         BAD WILL HAPPEN IN EUROPE AND THE UNITED STATES IS  NOT 
         GOING TO SHOW UP AT THE PARTY -- AND EUROPE BETTER BE 
         PREPARED FOR THAT CONTINGENCY. 

                         // END ACT // 

ANALYSTS SAY AS NATO BEGINS ITS NEXT 50-YEARS, THE WESTERN 
ALLIANCE FACES TOUGH CHOICES -- FROM FORGING A NEW "STRATEGIC 
CONCEPT" TO DEFINING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EUROPE AND THE 
UNITED STATES.  EXPERTS SAY HOW NATO RESOLVES THOSE ISSUES WILL 
DETERMINE WHETHER THE WESTERN ALLIANCE WILL CONTINUE TO BE A 
POTENT FORCE IN THE YEARS AHEAD.   (SIGNED)

NEB/ADEN//RAE

12-May-99 4:11 PM EDT (2011 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America
.