Here’s one for all you history buffs:   American Forces Network Benelux did a video on the history of NATO’s military headquarters which last June celebrated being in Belgium for 40 years.  They’ve kindly given us permission to use it.

When French President Charles de Gaulle announced in late 1966 that all foreign military forces must leave French soil by April 1967, NATO decided to move its political and military headquarters to Belgium. Consequently, the Belgians had only six months to turn a small military camp at Casteau into the new operational base for the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe. The video then tells the story of NATO’s military operations since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War.

So rather than spoiling the story by telling you all about it, click here to watch the video. It runs about six-and-a-half minutes and is about 18 MBs. There’s some pretty neat old video footage and interviews with a few former Supreme Allied Commanders.  You can also read a detailed history of SHAPE.

From time to time the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, who is dual-hatted as the Commander of all US forces in Europe, gives an operational update to the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

On March 11 General Craddock appeared in front of the Committee and spoke about NATO enlargement, NATO’s mission in Afghanistan and its relationship with the US-led coalition forces of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. He went into detail about ISAF’s campaign progress, touching on operations, the Combined Joint Statement of Requirements and national caveats, Afghan National Security Forces, supporting reconstruction and development, counter narcotics and strategic communications.

The testimony is on the Senate website. It’s a 19-page document and you can read it by clicking here.

Yesterday the Principal Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo, the Commander of NATO’s Kosovo Force and the Commissioner of the Kosovo Police Service held a joint news conference in Pristina. They discussed the current security situation in Kosovo and Monday’s operation to restore law and order in North Mitrovica. You can see the video or hear the audio by clicking here.