Command structures
There is to be a new command structure for NATO. Will Greece be left outside of that new command? No final decisions have been taken about the various parts of the command structure but there was completely unanimous agreement among the heads of state and government that we have to have a smaller, leaner, more streamlined command structure. The countries of the alliance cannot afford to prepare for a command structure that is too big for what we need and, at the same time, we need more deployable units. There was general agreement at Prague that this could not be based on national interests, it has to be military necessity first and national interests second. I can’t tell you what the eventual solution is going to be on how we do it, but I know the heads of state and government have said we haven’t got enough money to spend on structures we don’t need, so some tough decisions will have to be made in a number of countries. That was the same the last time. My country gave up a major headquarters and that was a sacrifice in terms of a national effort but it was of benefit to the alliance because we merged headquarters and made them more effective.
