NATO builds intelligence apparatus to address 21st century threats

NATO recently unveiled plans to build a new intelligence center to be opened later this year

The new century offers new challenges to international security. Those challenges should be addressed in order to avert conflicts and international tension, according to NATO leadership. North Atlantic Treaty Organization was a military bloc during the Cold War era. Now it is rebuilding its defense capabilities to tackle problems relating to international security. NATO recently unveiled plans to build a new intelligence center to be opened later this year.

A center for the exchange of intelligence between the NATO member states should “become the next milestone in the transformation of the Alliance following the new threats posed by the 21st century.” The center will focus on ways to step up data processing and analysis capabilities and thus improve effectiveness of NATO's operations.

All 26 NATO member states are invited to take part in the building of the facility, which is to be brought into operation within 12 months. The center will be based at the U.S. Air Force base in Moleworth, U.K. This U.S. military installation presently houses the U.S. Joint Intelligence Analysis Center, which is expected to work in close cooperation with the new NATO intelligence facility.

It should be noted that the North Atlantic alliance is continuously undergoing improvement and expansion. NATO is mostly enlarging to Eastern Europe these days. During a 2-day meeting of Russia-NATO Council in Brussels late December last year, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov and Russian Defense Minister Ivanov raised concerns following the agreement on the deployment of four U.S. military bases in Romania. Minister Lavrov voiced Russia's discontent as he expressed his doubts whether the “changes will comply with the adapted agreement on conventional armed forces in Europe.”

Meanwhile, several independent states that used to make up the former Soviet Union, are now determined to join NATO. The Baltic States already became the members of the organization. Ukraine and Georgia are set to follow suit. Ukraine already takes part in the joint military exercises and peacekeeping operations. Now Moldova is requesting NATO to put pressure on Russia and replace Russian peacekeeping forces in Transdnestr with the NATO peacekeepers.