"The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all and consequently they agree that, if such an armed attack occurs, each of them, in exercise of the right of individual or collective self-defence recognised by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, will assist the Party or Parties so attacked by taking forthwith, individually and in concert with the other Parties, such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area."
As examples of the obligations imposed on new member states, Poland ran the Multinational Division Central-South in Iraq from 2003-2008 with NATO assistance and deployed 2,500 troops for the command. It currently has 2,600 troops in Afghanistan, where it has lost 21 soldiers, and another 400 held in reserve for the mission. The Iraq and Afghanistan deployments are the largest overseas military commitments undertaken in Poland's history.
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania all had troops in Iraq - Latvia's and Lithuania's under Polish-NATO command - and all three countries currently have forces serving under NATO in Afghanistan.
NATO maintains a Joint Force Training Centre in Bydgoszcz, Poland, responsible to its Allied Command Transformation in Norfolk, Virginia, and in 2008 NATO inaugurated the Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Estonia, also connected with the U.S.-based Allied Command Transformation. The second was established a year after cyber attacks in Estonia which domestic - and U.S. - officials blamed on Russia, although Estonian Defense Minister Jaak Aaviksoo was compelled to admit he had no evidence that Russian government agencies played any role in the attacks. Notwithstanding which, the Western press at the time was rife with speculation over NATO invoking its Article 5, first used as a justification for NATO entering the war in Afghanistan, for the occasion.
This June the Times of London wrote that "NATO is considering the use of military force against enemies who launch cyber attacks on its member states." A report issued by the Group of Experts - led by former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright - that NATO appointed to promote the new Strategic Concept that will be adopted at the bloc's summit in Lisbon in November stated, "a cyber attack on the critical infrastructure of a Nato country could equate to an armed attack, justifying retaliation." [5]
Estonia is a likely test case for the policy.
The U.S. and NATO are ensuring they have the military forces in place to make good on their threat by conducting almost constant war games in the Baltic Sea.
On September 13 over 4,000 troops and 60 ships along with planes and helicopters from the U.S., Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland and Sweden participated in this year's Northern Coasts exercises in the Baltic Sea, the largest maneuvers ever staged in Finnish territorial waters.
On September 20 U.S. Special Operations Command Europe launched the Jackal Stone 10 multinational military exercise with 1,300 special forces from the U.S., Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Croatia, Romania and Ukraine. The exercises began at a Polish air base and continued at two bases in Lithuania. The U.S. dispatched USS Mount Whitney, the flagship of the U.S. Sixth Fleet (whose area of responsibility is the Mediterranean Sea) to participate in the drills.
According to a U.S. Naval Special Warfare official: "During the 10-day special operation exercise, Mount Whitney's presence was a huge asset. The ship provided excellent surveillance of targets at sea and helped the SOF [special operations forces] planners maintain an excellent perspective of the big picture by strategically placing itself off the coast, ready to perform any task the SOF required." [6]
The United States European Command website said of the war games: "The experiences and lessons learned from the current war in Afghanistan underscore the critical importance of deliberate planning for coalition special operations forces (SOF) missions.
"Training opportunities such as the Jackal Stone 10 exercise, co-hosted this year by Poland and Lithuania and coordinated by the U.S. Special Operations Command Europe, provide a unique venue for the U.S. to develop commonalities with its international SOF partners whether by land, air or sea....The Jackal Stone 10 exercise allows SOCEUR [Special Operations Command Europe] an opportunity to enhance the capabilities of its partner nations so they can become an integral part of the NATO footprint, specifically in developing the staff planning and operational ability of special operations forces." [7]
A Polish newspaper revealed intentions beyond the war in Afghanistan in reporting that "Exercise Jackal Stone 2010 was designed to enhance international military cooperation and increase military preparedness in CEE [Central and Eastern Europe]." It also quoted the previously mentioned Naval Special Warfare official asserting that "[the exercise] was a unique opportunity for SOF units from these countries to promote better communication and improve our readiness to build a greater fighting force worldwide." [8]
The U.S. 352nd Special Operations Group conducted "midnight training maneuvers" in the skies above Poland: "The mission began with two Combat Shadows flying in formation. As the training progressed, the crews conducted evasive maneuvers while flying at low levels in reaction to simulated area threats." [9]
U.S. and Polish forces also held a mass casualty exercise to prepare for "potential 'real world' emergencies" at the 21st Tactical Airbase in Swidwin where the opening ceremony for Jackal Stone 10 was held.
In the words of Polish Warrant Officer Anna Matulska, "I've been deployed to Iraq before and it's the same way. We have to work quickly, we have to triage and as in the case of our burn patients, we have to make sure they are kept warm." [10]
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