NATO general: allies need to do more on defence

(23 Jun 2016) NATO's top military officer said on Thursday that the alliance's upcoming summit should send a message to member states that the prime responsibility of defending their countries lies with their national troops.
Gen. Petr Pavel, chairman of NATO's Military Committee, told The Associated Press that the alliance has the "strength and the determination on the side of NATO to cope with the challenges presented by Russia," but the first to respond to a crisis will always be the forces of the nation affected.
Pavel also said that NATO's ability to act swiftly and defend its members shouldn't be underestimated, but admitted that Russia has the advantage of quick, centralised decision-making.
He spoke after an exercise that tested the alliance's ability to cooperate in IT, and ahead of a NATO summit to be held in Poland on 8-9 July.
Find out more about AP Archive: www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter: / ap_archive
Facebook: / aparchives ​​
Instagram: / apnews
You can license this story through AP Archive: www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...