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NATO Chief Warns Against Defense Cuts

09 October 2010 00:35 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. NATOâ€™s top official is warning cash-strapped members to be wary of downsizing the allianceâ€™s military might, APA reports quoting â€œThe Voice of Americaâ€.

Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says many nations are facing tough choices as they try to recover from the global financial crisis. But he warned deep cuts will slash not only the â€œfatâ€ of wasteful spending â€“ they will cut â€œinto muscle, and then into boneâ€ of the organization.

Rasmussen made the comments during a speech Friday in Brussels about NATOâ€™s new strategic vision. Member nations are scheduled to finalize the new vision at a summit next month in Portugal.

The NATO chief says the alliance must streamline its command structure yet maintain the ability to carry-out major missions around the world.

He also says NATO should seek greater cooperation with civilian organizations as well as with other countries, including Russia.

Rasmussen says he envisions a missile defense system that extends from â€œVancouver to Vladivostok.â€

But the relationship between NATO and Moscow has been increasingly tense since Russiaâ€™s military overran Georgiaâ€™s defenses in 2008.

Russia has also expressed skepticism over plans by the United States to expand a missile defense system in Eastern Europe, saying it would destroy the balance of power on the continent.

Rasmussen also says the new vision for NATO will provide the alliance with a blueprint for protecting the 900 million citizens of its member countries from the threats they will face in the coming decade.

He says those include cyber attacks that can take down a countryâ€™s air traffic control system or cripple its economy, as well as terrorism and conventional military attacks.