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First step for new Nato in Norway
- I am particularly pleased and enthusiastic of the new capabilities Nat will now retain, said Admiral Edmund Giambastiani after Nat signed the agreement to form the Joint Warfare Centre at Jåttå in Norway.
By Kjetil Eide og Kim H. Bjorheim (photo), FMS
VIPs: (From the left:) General Sigurd Frisvold, General Harald Kujat, Chief of Defence Kristin Krohn Devold, Admiral Rainer Feist and Admiral Edmund Giambastiani all attended the ceremony at Jåttå on the 17th.
The signing of the agreement of July 17th means that Jåttå now is ready to take on tasks from the Allied Command Transformation (ACT), the headquarters located at Norfolk led by Admiral Edmund Giambastiani. Along with General Harald Kujat, head of the Nato military Committee, and Admiral Rainer Feist, second in command of the Nato European Command, Admiral Giambastiani signed the agreement which formally formed the Joint Warfare Centre at Jåttå. In his speech afterwards he formally extended his gratitude to the Norwegian Minister of Defence, Kristin Krohn Devold, and his two colleagues.
Standards for the future
- Through their numerous talks and strong commitment they have made this day possible in only nine months. This is an impressive pace which makes for an example to be followed in future Nato operations, said Giambastiani.
The signing of the agreement coincided with the meeting of the Nato military committee to discuss experiences from the operation in Iraq. This type of sharing experiences is extremely valuable for the Norwegian armed forces, said Norwegian Chief of Defence General Sigurd Frisvold.
- There are many lessons to be learned from operations abroad, and these will also help strengthen the national headquarters. The competence that is now added to the headquarters in the form of Nato personnel can also help the Norwegian armed forces improve, said General Frisvold. The Minister of Defence fully agrees with the Chief of Defence.
MoD’s baby
The Minister of Defence has worked long and hard in order to get the new Nato headquarters assigned to Jåttå, and her level of commitment makes her refer to it as "her baby".
- I now see that the alliance is working increasingly as a single entity, which has been the goal from the very beginning, said Minister Devold.
Minister Devold now hopes that the Europeans follow up and use the Joint Warfare Centre as the nucleus in forming an efficient joint force. Nato has decided to establish a Rapid Reaction force of 20,000 troops within 2006.
The start:General Harald Kujat’s signature on the document that confirms the location of the Joint Warfare Centre at Jåttå, while Admiral Edmund Giambastiani waits his turn.
Global terrorism
While it was the threat of hostile actions from the East that lay the foundation for Nato at its formation, the fear of defined enemies and invasion is no longer apparent for Nato member countries. Over the last few years Nato has turned its eye toward global terrorism, and has begun transforming itself to a new series of global threats. General Harald Kujat felt that the role played by Norway in the transformation of Nato justifies locating the Joint Warfare Centre to Jåttå.
- Norway has been a cornerstone in Nato throughout the East-West conflict. The country has been - and still remains - a major contributor to collateral security. The fact that the headquarters is located to Norway reflects not only my view, but also the view of all 18 Natomember countries, said General Kujat.
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