NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said defense ministers from allied nations will meet this week in Brussels to discuss the current state of the global security environment, DoD News reported Tuesday.
Jim Garamone writes Stoltenberg told reporters that NATO member countries aim to address security challenges through increased defense spending.
U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis will join his foreign counterparts and Stoltenberg from Europe and North America at the international alliance’s defense ministerial meeting to tackle the ongoing efforts against extremist groups such as the Islamic State militant group and other emerging threats from the Middle East and North Africa.
The group plans to deploy four multinational battle groups in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland as part of efforts to address regional stability issues.
NATO members also pledged to invest two percent of the respective countries’ gross domestic product in defense programs, Garamone reported.
The report said defense ministers will also assess the alliance’s command structure and identify possible strategies to address hybrid warfare, hybrid threats and cyber defense issues during their meeting.
