The NATO Resilience Symposium 2024, co-organized by the NATO International Staff Defence Planning and Policy Division and Allied Command Transformation, was hosted by the Slovak Republic in Bratislava from 11–13 November 2024.
The theme for this year's symposium was "NATO at 75: Delivering Resilient Deterrence and Defence". The symposium aimed to promote a proactive civil-military approach to resilience planning, supporting Allied nations in implementing NATO’s military plans, ensuring credible deterrence and defence.
The focus was on operationalising resilience, particularly in light of decisions from the Washington D.C. summit and prior meetings. In particular, it addressed how to collectively develop and implement resilience planning to underpin credible deterrence and defence of the Alliance.
The symposium brought together civilian and military leaders, policy makers and experts with a resilience portfolio from NATO Allies, selected NATO partner nations, NATO HQ International Staff and the International Military Staff, NATO Command Structure, NATO Agencies and Organizations, IOs and NGOs, SCOEs, academia and industry experts.
Key addresses were delivered by Robert Fico, Prime Minister of Slovakia, and Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General (via video), alongside Slovakian Minister for the Interior Matus Sutaj Estok and Vice Admiral Simon Asquith CB OBE, Chief of Staff of NATO’s Allied Command Transformation.
The symposium agenda included sessions on “The State of Play of Resilience in NATO”, “Multi-Stakeholder Cooperation in Crisis and Conflict”, “Operationalising Resilience – Civil-Military Planning” and three Deep Dive Sessions on Transport, Medical and Energy Resilience.
Ukraine was represented at the event by K. Voitovskyi, Chief Consultant of the Strategic Planning Department of the Center for Security Studies of the National Institute for Strategic Studies, who delivered a Scene-setting keynote during Session 4: Operationalising Resilience – Civil-Military Planning and participated in other discussions.
The following key aspects were discussed at the symposium:
The latest challenges of NATO and its member states in strengthening resilience, including hostile influences and adversaries' attempts to weaken the Alliance, were discussed, as well as the possibilities of countering these challenges through strategic and political decisions and increased readiness.
It was noted that NATO is currently facing not only the terrorist threat, but also the threat of armed aggression by the Russian Federation. If implemented, it will create an unprecedented situation in which the scale of mobilization and movement of troops and populations in Europe and the world as a whole will be unprecedented. It was emphasized that civil and military authorities must plan robust measures to enhance preparedness for possible crisis situations. The importance of NATO-EU cooperation, as well as military-civilian interaction is growing. It was noted that private companies play a significant role in ensuring the continuous and safe functioning of critical infrastructure, the supply of necessary goods and services to the armed forces, and possess information useful for government activities.
The shortcomings in ensuring resilience were highlighted, namely: lack or ineffectiveness of an appropriate legislative framework that should be part of defence and security legislation; insufficient level of cooperation between the stakeholders; differences in perception of threats by «frontline» and «rear» states and even different ministries within the same government. Attention was drawn to the problem of lack of funds for the necessary level of resilience, given that its excess capacity is very expensive, especially for private companies. It was noted that the existing challenges to resilience are not endemic in Europe, but global.
The role of insurance companies in building resilience was emphasized. Given that they are among the first to anticipate and assess risks, it is advisable to maintain a constant communication between insurers and governments for sharing relevant information.
Conclusions were drawn on the appropriateness of developing a culture of resilience. This implies, inter alia, the definition of a common (unified) approach to resilience; recognition of the fact that sufficient resilience achieved in peacetime is a deterrent to potential aggressors; providing state assistance in organizing and directing the volunteer movement to meet the most urgent needs of the military and society; improving the relevant legislative framework; civil involvement in military exercises on resilience and development of military-civilian cooperation.
Since national resilience is a complex, multi-layered phenomenon, its achievement requires the joint efforts of all stakeholders. It is about managing risks in systems that cross national, institutional, and organizational boundaries. NATO provides a platform for Alliance members to exchange experiences and best practices, which contributes to establishing resilience criteria, strengthening ties with partners and other stakeholders, and promote a common culture of resilience and cohesion. Proposals were made to adhere to such an integrated approach.
Considerable attention was paid to the issue of information exchange between NATO and the EU. It was stated that the experts were already developing relevant protocols. NATO and EU plans are now complementary but still require more coordination and coherence.
Another challenge is the need for standardization of relevant laws in EU member states and their unification.
Problems were also noted in the cross-border transportation of military and civilian personnel and cargo during emergencies. The rules and laws in EU and NATO countries do not allow this to be done effectively, and Ukraine's experience shows that transportation in crisis will be burdened by unexpected (sudden) power outages, total lack of electricity and/or communications, or other cascade effects.
The problems in ensuring public and government preparedness for emergencies were noted, as not every person or unit knows well what to do in certain situations. It is advisable to form in advance algorithms and action plans defining the conditions under which it is necessary to evacuate, what to do with domestic animals, with whom it is necessary to communicate in crisis situations, etc.
The Alliance is currently undertaking measures to increase its preparedness. In particular, the new NATO military strategy has been developed, the command structure has changed, a new command and control system (C2) has been established, the defence planning process has been improved, attention has been paid to the development of military capabilities, particularly with the aim of increasing mobility, and improvement of all kinds of support.
The symposium participants agreed that the reaction to the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, which began in 2014, was late and weak. The lack of capabilities requires the definition of priorities for NATO and member states' security. NATO and the EU are already preparing to deal with possible large-scale emergencies and wars in Europe.
The Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine and the use of energy as a weapon to pressure Ukraine, other partners, and Allies pose new challenges for NATO and member states. It is necessary to make sure that countries can provide a constant supply of energy and cope with its temporary disruptions.
Critical energy infrastructure remains a major target for hostile actors. Ukraine’s experience has shown that disruptions in the energy supply caused by Russian kinetic attacks and smaller-scale hybrid incidents lead to intersectoral and cascade consequences.
Civil planning is the cornerstone of NATO and Allies’ work to ensure resilience. Although it is a national responsibility, NATO provides the necessary support and agreed guidance. However, there is a challenge in coordinating military and civilian efforts. NATO's basic requirements for resilience should become a key component of civilian planning to identify military needs and manage the risks that arise. The establishment of military-civilian cooperation and information exchange will help to identify threats and vulnerabilities and make the right decisions.
The problem issues of outsourcing for troop supply were discussed. To overcome the existing difficulties, the EU allocates funds in particular for securing important procurements for the humanitarian needs of the armed forces, etc.
The symposium also addressed strategies for strengthening national resilience to contemporary threats (hybrid wars, cyber attacks, environmental crises); the role of civil society in building resilience; and the interaction between civilian and military structures; the impact of international cooperation on enhancing the resilience of states; developing flexible, crisis-resilient governance systems; and raising public awareness and involvement in strengthening resilience.
During the discussions, particular attention was paid to the need to study and implement Ukraine's experience in ensuring national resilience in the face of full-scale aggression.
Conclusions.
NATO and its member states recognize the urgent need to strengthen resilience against growing global challenges and threats. The study of Ukraine’s experience, forged through hybrid aggression and a full-scale invasion by the Russian Federation, is invaluable for the Alliance, and the continuation of comprehensive assistance to our state in the fight against external aggression is widely supported by NATO member states.
In today’s highly uncertain environment, it is important to ensure adequate preparedness for any threat. This involves the development of necessary security and social capital capabilities, integrated military-civilian exercises to test mechanisms for comprehensive interaction, dissemination of the knowledge about current and potential threats, as well as algorithms and plans for action in crisis situations, etc.
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