US Secretary of Defense candidate voices future plans, involving Georgia
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If Ash Carter is chosen as the next United States (US) Secretary of Defense, he plans to help Georgia build its security capacity and military interoperability with NATO.
He said the US and NATO should reject Russian assertions that Moscow is entitled to a "sphere of influence" in Eastern Europe — and build militaries capable of handling "any opponent," in a 42-page document prepared for the Senate Armed Services Committee.
"I reject the notion that Russia should be afforded a 'sphere of influence,' " Carter wrote.
"If confirmed, I will continue to encourage US partners, such as Moldova, Georgia, and Ukraine, to build their security capacity and military interoperability with NATO."
Carter , who was nominated by President Obama on December 5, 2014, to replace Chuck Hagel as the US Secretary of Defense, believed the US should maintain its lead role in "collective defense planning" among NATO allies. He also said he would urge allies "to invest in military capabilities that can impose costs on any opponent", while at the same time he would encourage large and small NATO allies to invest more money and resources "in capabilities that are needed by the alliance."
Georgia's Defence Minister Mindia Janelidze has met United States (US) Secretary of Defence Chuck Hagel at the NATO headquarters in Brussels today.
Days after the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Summit in Wales ended, United States (US) Secretary of Defence Chuck Hagel is visiting Georgia on his first official visit. In a meeting with Georgian officials yesterday, Hagel pledged the US would help the former Soviet republic improve its security.
A top American military official is in Georgia and offering support to the small nation as it looks to develop closer ties with the West.
US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel met with Georgia’s Defense Minister Irakli Alasania at the Pentagon on May 7.
Georgia's NATO membership prospects will be discussed at high-level US meetings, which Georgia’s Defence Minister Irakli Alasania is scheduled to attend.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will visit Georgia, Romania, Ukraine and Brussels next week, Pentagon Spokesman John Kirby said at a briefing yesterday. “Austin and his team will be preparing for a trip to Europe next week. They will stay in Georgia, Ukraine and Romania, and he (Austin) will also conclude this important visit with allies and partners in Brussels, where the meeting of NATO defense ministers will take place,” Kirby said.