Baltics matter, due to their military readiness

Liisa Tagel
, välisuudiste toimetaja
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Photo: Peeter Langovits

According to British defence secretary Philip Hammond, Europe’s security depends on member states’ ability to provide equal partnership to USA.

Philip Hammond, UK’s Secretary of State for Defence, was interviewed by Postimees yesterday, while on his way from Tallinn to Helsinki to attend NATO meeting for Nordic group defence ministers. As underlined by Mr Hammond, the heart of Estonian and UK defence cooperation is and will always be Afghanistan; the good experience gained there will serve as foundation for future ties.

Yesterday, you and Estonian defence minister Urmas Reinsalu signed an agreement of mutual intent prescribing the strengthening of defence cooperation between the two countries. What does that mean?

That is all based on our good cooperation experience in Afghanistan – both parties find the experience very valuable and we are trying to find ways how to continue with that in the future. We will be sending troops to each other’s exercises both on leadership and rank and file level; we will be searching for ways for cooperation on various technical levels; we will be sending our students to Baltic defence colleges and will receive Estonian students into our defence academies. In January, hopefully, we will be joining the cyber defence competence centre – by now, this is only up to bureaucracy.

The Nordic Group includes the Nordic Countries, the Baltics, Germany, Poland, and the UK. What is the importance of such cooperation for UK?

We are seeking for partners, in Europe, which have military capacity, are trustworthy, ready and able to set troops to positions, as needed. From our experience in Afghanistan, we know Estonia and Denmark to meet these conditions. With the Nordic Region, we have very clear mutual interests; we also share similar thinking, wherefore it is easy for us to communicate. We cooperate in the English language, which makes the platform very practical – in large NATO groupings, all is done via translators which is much more complex. A large part of UK’s energy comes from Norway, thus the Nordics are vital, for us, regarding energy security. The Baltics are also of strategic importance – these are states with military readiness, able if needed to redeploy their troops. 

Related to leaving Afghanistan, there is the key word SOFA (status of forces agreement, determining legal rights and obligations of foreign states – edit) governing continuance of presence of foreign troops. Will that be signed, by end of this year, ere the new budgets are ratified?   

The US-Afghanistan peace treaty needs to be signed first; not clear it that will happen by year’s end. This is now up to the Afghanis – ratified by tribal elders’ body, it is not up for the president [of Afghanistan] to sign. Once this gets signed, NATO can start to discuss its treaty. I do not know if it will happen this year; even so, I am sure it [the Afghani treaty] will be signed.

What would happen if the agreement is not reached? Would that mean the entire operation has failed?

I don’t think it would mean that. Neither do I think it will fail. I believe the peace treaty will be sighed and that NATO’s SOFA will also be signed. This Afghani domestic policy and a matter of timing; even so, I’m convinced it is in the interests of both sides to sign the treaty. The opposite would be highly unlikely.

How will it be with private persons hired by the allied troops?

We will assess hazards related to individuals and offer options based on that. Due to the end of our operation, many people will simply lose their jobs; so we are also dealing with that. Naturally, we are offering financial support to begin with. Combat interpreters and other who have basically worked on the frontlines may either opt for the local package – support and the option to enroll in an Afghani university to be involved, in times to come, in building up the state – or move to the UK and have the same opportunities with us. Up to now, about 80 per cent of applicants have opted to come to UK, only 20 per cent choosing the local package. An assistance package has also been compiled by Denmark, for interpreters working with them. Every state needs to decide according to its condition, however.

While talking on NATO’s future on Monday, you emphasised the priority to convince Americans that Europe is willing and able to defend itself, and that it would need to happen together with Americans. How will that happen?

We must convince USA that we are also able to be providers of defence, not consumers of it only. That we are willing to invest, not just using defence financed by US taxpayers. 

At the meeting (NATO summit in UK, in 2014 – L. T.) we must provide a very clear message, but it cannot be mere rhetoric. We must also prove it in practice. We must show that Europe is done with cutting defence budgets – that these will be start growing again, parallel to recovery of the European economy – and that we are dedicated and convinced to use our defence budgets.  

The meeting will of course focus on Afghanistan, on NATO’s future, on how to rearrange that regarding the future so that we would not lose the cooperation ability acquired. A general topic discussed will be strengthening the trans-Atlantic ties, the task of NATO as such being to link USA with ensuring security of Europe. This, however, can only work is Europe also invests into joint defence policy.

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