How timely: Britain announces it will host 2014 NATO Summit

Earlier this month I had the opportunity to travel to NATO headquarters in Brussels to attend a course put together by my colleagues in the UK Joint Delegation to NATO. The course is designed to give staff a thorough introduction to NATO and an understanding of its place at the centre of the UK’s defence policy. This was a chance for me to see the NATO HQ in operation, meet and exchange views with colleagues from the delegation and the UK’s global network, as well as meet Allied and partner delegations. As participants, we gained a clear picture of the opportunities and challenges of working in a consensus-based Alliance with its partners and Allies.

Just after my return to Washington, it was exciting to the see the announcement made by Prime Minister Cameron that Britain will host the 2014 Summit—but I was not surprised. Given that NATO is the bedrock for the UK’s defence, this makes complete sense to me. A UK-hosted Summit will set the tone for this period and take important decisions about NATO and its future capabilities and posture. The UK has a unique contribution to make to these discussions, particularly in building on our indispensable partnership with the US and our leading role in Europe. We will be working closely with our US counterparts along with the rest of our NATO Allies as we move closer towards the 2014 Summit. This Summit will be just as important as the previous NATO Summit that was hosted in 2012 in Chicago, where I was privileged to go along and support the UK team on the ground. This will be the first time the UK has hosted the Summit since Prime Minister Thatcher welcomed NATO leaders in 1990 as the Cold War came to an end. It’s particularly appropriate for Britain to host next year’s Summit, since we have a strong record of organizing and wealth of experience on delivering large scale successful international events including G20s, the recent G8, and of course the London 2012 Olympics Games.

I came away from my sessions at NATO with a sense of the UK’s role in NATO and a look towards the future. In a world that is changing with times of fiscal austerity, new threats and developing capabilities, we need a NATO that keeps evolving to continue delivering common security around the globe. The UK (and UK’s Joint Delegation to NATO) is at the forefront of working on that goal to ensure the alliance remains modern, efficient and effective with the necessary capabilities, forces and resources. As a founding member of NATO we maintain one of the world’s most capable and professional militaries and we have made significant contributions to NATO’s operations in Afghanistan and elsewhere, not to mention our commitment to spend at least 2 percent of our GDP on defence in NATO. As the Prime Minister said in his announcement:

The summit will also be about the future of our alliance. Britain has always been at the forefront of shaping the alliance, from its start in 1949 to NATO’s current operations, and the 2014 Summit will be critical in ensuring NATO remains a relevant, modern, adaptable force fit for the 21st century.

The security challenges we all face are becoming more unpredictable and less easy to manage but a NATO Summit in the UK will be an opportunity to mark progress in Afghanistan and look towards the future. 2014 will be a big year for NATO and the UK. I sure am glad that I attended that course now!