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For Your Information Current NATO MissionsThe following are current NATO missions. KosovoThere are approximately 3,500 troops from NATO and "partner" countries operating in Kosovo as part of NATO's Kosovo Force (KFOR). NATO has had troops stationed in Kosovo since June 1999 after taking part in the U.S.-led air war against the former Yugoslavia. AfghanistanNATO is currently leading Operation Resolute Support, in effect since January 2015. It is described as a "non-combat mission which provides training, advice and assistance to Afghan security forces and institutions." NATO says the legal basis of its mission rests on a formal invitation of the Afghan government and the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) between NATO and Afghanistan signed in the wake of the U.S.-led war and occupation. In April it was announced that the U.S. and other allied forces would be withdrawing from Afghanistan, a process expected to be completed "within a few months." NATO troops and those of 36 "partner countries," which currently total around 10,000, will remain behind, as part of what NATO says is an "enduring partnership" it has committed to with Afghanistan. IraqThe NATO Mission Iraq was launched at the Brussels Summit in July 2018, "at the request of the Iraqi government" and "in coordination with the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS." NATO says it is a "non-combat training and capacity-building mission to assist Iraqi forces to secure the country and the wider region against terrorism, and prevent the re-emergence of ISIS." Canada led the mission for the first two years. In February 2021 it was announced that NATO defence ministers had agreed to raise the number of troops for the mission from 500 to 4,000. Eastern Europe/Baltic RegionNATO has what it calls an Enhanced Forward Presence in the form of four multinational combat-ready battle groups based in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. These battle groups are led by the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany and the United States respectively. The battle group Canada commands is comprised of approximately 1,400 troops. Canada's Department of National Defence says that "these battle groups make clear that an attack on one Ally will be considered an attack on the whole Alliance, and represents the biggest reinforcement of NATO's collective defence in a generation." Despite claims of self-defence, these troops are part of U.S.-NATO aggression toward Russia. Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea Standing Naval ForcesNATO has four multinational integrated Standing Maritime Groups with an immediate-response capability. Routine NATO maritime operations in the region include such things as situational awareness (aimed primarily at monitoring Russian activity) and counter-terrorism at sea. If decided by NATO members the mission could also perform other tasks described as upholding freedom of navigation, conducting maritime interdictions and protecting critical infrastructure. NATO also runs a "maritime and joint exercise program" which it says is key to interoperability and improving core warfighting competencies. Its maritime groups operate jointly with U.S warships and those of other countries as well, including Canada. Air Policing |
