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INTRODUCTION At the invitation of Michael Turner, President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, a delegation from the Defence and Security Committee (DSC) travelled to Washington, D.C., and Miami, Florida, from January 26 to 29, 2016. The delegation included 40 parliamentarians from 19 NATO countries. The Canadian delegation was led by Mrs. Cheryl Gallant, M.P.; also participating were the Honourable Joseph A. Day, Senator, the Honourable Colin Kenny, Senator, the Honourable Michel Rivard, Senator, the Honourable David M. Wells, Senator, the Honourable John McKay, M.P., and Mr. Pierre Paul-Hus, M.P. The parliamentarians were assisted by Mr. Jean-François Pagé, Association Secretary to the Canadian NATO PA Parliamentary Association. The delegation met with senior officials of the U.S. Department of Defense and the Department of State and with Brookings Institution researchers. The presentations and discussions focused on transatlantic relations and the expectations for the Warsaw Summit, U.S. priorities and policies with regard to NATO and Russia, and U.S. policy in the Middle East, especially the campaign against Daesh. The delegation’s mission to the United States ended with visits to the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Air Base and the Homestead Air Reserve Base, as well as a briefing session with the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM). Lawrence Silverman, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, U.S. Department of State, stressed the strategic importance of the Alliance and stated that the fight against Daesh had to be multi‑pronged (military, counter propaganda, economic). He also mentioned that the strikes carried out by the U.S.‑led coalition had significantly slowed the progression of Daesh in Iraq and Syria. Mr. Silverman suggested that, in addition to military efforts, we must, to the extent possible, support and help the different political actors in Syria in order to ensure a peaceful transition and to strengthen the border. This can only be achieved with the removal of Bashaar Al‑Assad. Mr. Silverman also noted that it is difficult to properly identify the positive forces opposing the terrorist groups. Mr. Silverman mentioned the importance of the refugee issue and the direct link between the situation in Syria and the difficulties encountered by the European Union in this regard. Joseph Pennington, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Iraq, U.S. Department of State, then addressed the delegation with a briefing on the situation on the other side of the Euphrates, in Iraq. Mr. Pennington noted that the military angle was the only way forward in Iraq at this time. He added that a full 40% of Iraqi sovereign territory that was held by Daesh after Sept 2014 is now back in the hands of the Iraqi government. This is a very positive sign, he stated, as the group’s ability to launch offensives was clearly diminishing, putting them principally on a defensive footing in Iraq. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State John A. Heffern met with the delegation to discuss expectations in the run-up to the Warsaw Summit in July 2016. He believes it is necessary to go back to the essence of what led to the creation of the organization in 1949, namely the collective security of Europe in the face of Russian threats, and add to it the management of recurring crises such as migration and terrorism. Mr. Heffern also mentioned the importance of NATO solidarity (in dealing with the Russian threat and terrorism). In this regard, he stressed the importance of meetings such as those organized by the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and noted the essential role played by legislators. Their contribution confers democratic legitimacy to decisions that would otherwise be made only at the interministerial level. With regard to the Warsaw Summit, which will be taking place in July 2016 and follows the 2014 Summit in Wales, the Allies currently have seven main goals: 1) Bolster collective defence (improve readiness and resilience – each country and as an Alliance – hybrid threats, etc.); 2) Ensure NATO unity on Russia Policy; 3) Renew focus on partnerships, Gulf Cooperation Council cooperation, and capacity building in places like Libya; 4) Enhance allied defence spending – which remains the key to readiness and deterrence; 5) Reaffirm NATO’s “open door” policy. Maintaining this policy is important as it shows the credibility and endurance of the core ideals of the Alliance; 6) Deliver on Wales Summit promises for partnerships – especially enhanced partnerships in places like Georgia and Ukraine; and 7) Operations – It is important to begin the transition phase for some, and even maintain those as needed, but schedule those due for closure, such as Kosovo and the maritime operation in the Mediterranean. BROOKINGS INSTITUTION Relations with Russia were the focus of discussions at the Brookings Institution meetings, with a briefing on Russia-NATO relations in the wake of the Cold War and the efforts made to foster a partnership between Russia and the Euro-Atlantic community. Despite these efforts, Russia does not feel it is part of the Atlantic community. In this regard, the invasion and annexation of Crimea are good examples. The participants expressed their concerns about the lack of unity among the allied countries in Europe in dealing with Russian aggression. Steven Pifer, Director, Arms Control and Non-Proliferation Initiative and Senior Fellow, began the roundtable discussion with a briefing on Russia-NATO relations in the wake of the Cold War and the efforts made by the transatlantic community to foster a cooperative partnership with Moscow. Today, he noted, the Euro-Atlantic community finds itself in clear competition with Russia and this is having an impact on the world and European affairs. Constanze Stelzenmueller, the Robert Bosch Senior Fellow at the Center on United States and Europe, at Brookings, noted that the U.S. still sends a mixed message about its presence in Europe. This is destabilizing the Alliance. She cited the example of Germany, which after WWII and over the Cold War, unlearned deterrence and territorial defence. The lack of German readiness is evident in the hollowing out of German forces and its inability to handle the challenges of hybrid warfare. The delegation then heard from Clifford Gaddy, Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, Center on the United States and Europe, at Brookings. In his opinion, the biggest difference between the Cold War era and today is that the Soviet Union did not want to be in our world order, while Russia is actually seeking to be a bigger player in it. Consequently, the United States and its NATO Allies have significant leverage over Russia today, as it could never survive as an autarchy, contrary to the pretentions of the Soviet Union in its day. Mr. Gaddy also noted that Russia was trying to strengthen its presence in the Arctic to compensate for its economic weaknesses and to demonstrate that it is a leading power on the world stage. He urged NATO to be mindful of Russia’s ambitions in the Far North, and to be very cautious. U.S. SOUTHERN COMMAND (SOUTHCOM), U.S. COAST GUARD STATION, HOMESTEAD AIR RESERVE BASE - MIAMI, FLORIDA The delegation had the privilege of visiting the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), the U.S. Coast Guard Station and Homestead Air Reserve Base. The purpose of these visits was to show the parallels between the United States experience in the Caribbean and various forms of trafficking and migration and the problem Europeans are having today in the Mediterranean. TOUR OF SOUTHCOM The visit focussed on: · Briefing on SOUTHCOM · Discussion on the SOUTHCOM migrant interception mission · Discussion on the role of Europe in the mission to combat drug trafficking COAST GUARD AIR STATION The visit focussed on: · Briefing on the Command · Tour of the Miami Air Base - CAPT Fedor, D7 Response / CAPT Lutes, Commanding Officer · Briefing on District 7 · Briefing on the missions of the Air Base HOMESTEAD AIR RESERVE BASE The visit focussed on: · Display of planes on the ground: · MH-65D · HC-144A · Unit visit – Tactical Law Enforcement Team (TACLET) South · CDR Fredie, Commanding Officer · Briefing on the mission · Tactical demonstration · Briefing on the teams U.S. COAST GUARD AIR BASE The visit focussed on: · Presentation by the 125th Fighter Wing · Air Defence Mission · Presentation and simulation of an alert · Presentation on the F-15C
· Presentation by the 484th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron · Overview of the Command · Presentation on the F-16C
· Embark on a USCG Fast Response Cutter (FRC) in Miami Bay · Discussion on SUF · Demonstration of NCV-UOF (use of force tactics against non-compliant vessels) · Lessons learned from CD/AMIO missions
Respectfully submitted,
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