BRATISLAVA/BRUSSELS, March 11, (WEBNOVINY) – NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has expressed concern over the potential consequences of meager funding for armies in some member states, Slovak Defense Minister Lubomir Galko reported after the session of the North Atlantic Council meeting at NATO Headquarters in Brussels. “Mr. Rasmussen has come up with a smart defense concept. It means wisely sharing skills among individual countries. It is one way – cooperation in training, education, logistics and other areas – to save a lot of money by scrapping identical activities in member states,” Galko elaborated. The minister will strive to intensify cooperation with neighbors and contribute to the more efficient and cheaper functioning of NATO. “I can imagine closer collaboration at the level of some miniature alliances; in our case the Czech Republic as well as Visegrad Group members Poland and Hungary are historically the closest,” he said.
Galko outlined the determination to ensure more finances for his ministry compared to previous years. “I have informed my colleagues that Slovakia has stimulated intense debate on this topic and we will shift it to the governmental level. We have taken the path of continuous budget cuts, which is bad – we definitely must retrace our steps. I have spoken about a strategic evaluation of defense and added that I will insist that serious strategic decisions are adopted at the level of the government and that the budget for defense is increased from the projections for upcoming years,” Galko stated in Brussels. In his words, unless the meager budget of the army improves, his ministry will have to implement deep cuts in various areas. At its entry into NATO, Slovakia pledged something and unless the financial situation alters abruptly, “very soon, we might not be able to meet out basic commitments toward the alliance and tasks arising from our laws.” He meant assistance in natural disasters, like major flooding or fires.
NATO defense ministers talked about the future operation of NATO in the context of shrinking budget expenses, the situation in Libya and the gradual passing of power to Afghan security units in connection with the ISAF mission.
SITA