NATO’s top general in charge of military operations spoke to a conservative think tank on May 8 in the United States. During his speech to the Heritage Foundation, General John Craddock spoke about NATO’s military operation in Afghanistan and explained what’s at stake with the mission:

“First and foremost, our very own security, here and in Europe, as well as in Afghanistan itself.  Just as economies are increasingly interdependent in our globalized world, our external and internal security is equally interwoven.  Afghanistan is a mission of necessity rather than of choice.  Less than a decade ago, Afghanistan was a hotbed of terrorism.  Our mission is crucial to ensure that the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is never again a place that terrorists, transnational terrorists, call home.”

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Here’s a story about an NCO that we thought we’d share. Warrant Officer Ashok Kumar Chauhan MBE is in charge of all interpreters in ISAF’s RC South region in Afghanistan. His commanding officer calls him a “force multiplier in his own right”. The 30-year British Army veteran volunteered to stay in Afghanistan twice after his initial six-month tour.  American Forces Network reporter Rolla Suttmiller has profiled him for NATO’s Year of the NCO. Click here to watch the video. 

NATO’s senior military leadership visited the Kosovo Force on April 29. They saw a demonstration of crowd riot control procedures with KFOR and Kosovo Police units. To watch a video of the demo, click here.

The Military Committee, NATO’s highest military authority, is made up of the chiefs of defence of all 26 member countries. To learn more about the Committee, click here.