Washington, May 18: NATO has unveiled its operations blueprint for the next decade, calling for expansion of the alliance’s operational mandate far beyond the borders of its 28 member states.
The “NATO 2020” proposal, which also raises concerns about “the threat” posed by Iran’s ballistic missiles, was released Monday by a team of experts headed by former US Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright.
Furthermore, the document emphasizes that NATO must win the war in Afghanistan.
The draft says the alliance must be ready for “counter-insurgency” measures far from its borders.
It also urges the organization to recommit itself to its core mission of collective security.
NATO forces entered Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, with the objective of curbing militancy and bringing peace and stability to the country.
Nine years on, however, civilians are paying the price while insurgency is still on the rise.
The war in Afghanistan is NATO’s largest mission to date.
Meanwhile, the new NATO draft called on the alliance to focus on improving relations with Russia and China.
NATO Chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen is expected to submit the strategic document for approval at the alliance’s Lisbon summit in November.
The previous NATO blueprint, which was adopted and endorsed in 1999, mainly focused on the organizations’ peacekeeping roles in the former Yugoslav states.
NATO was set up in 1949 to counter the threat posed by the former Soviet Union.
——-Agencies