Fallon attends NATO meeting of defence ministers

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced that Defence Secretary Michael Fallon will meet new US Defence Secretary James Mattis at NATO Defence Ministerial, in Brussels.

The NATO Defence Ministerial will offer a chance for the 28 Allies to take stock on the challenges and opportunities NATO faces, to the East and South of the Alliance, to reinforce the transatlantic bond and to affirm the UK’s commitment to deepening the link.

According to the MoD statement: the UK’s priorities will be to ensure the Alliance continues to make progress on taking forward the ambitious agenda agreed at Warsaw, in particular on modern defence and deterrence towards Russia. On that front (literally), the enhanced forward presence of NATO battlegroups is deploying this Spring to the Baltic States and Poland, with the UK proud to be leading the formation in Estonia, one of our most effective Allies in the Helmand campaign.

It will also target taking stock of what NATO has done since Warsaw to expand NATO’s role in addressing instability on our Southern flank and beyond, including the new NATO Training and Capacity Building activity in Iraq, helping Iraqi security forces build their ability to secure the country after the defeat of Daesh (ISIL).