Ukraine-NATO Council to hold first meeting with participation of army commanders

That’s according to the NATO press service, Ukrinform reports.

NATO's highest military body, the Military Committee, will hold an in-person meeting on January 17 and 18, 2024 in Brussels.

Admiral Rob Bauer, Chair of the Military Committee, will preside over the meeting, which will be attended by the Allied Chiefs of Defense and their Invitee counterpart from Sweden. They will be joined by General Christopher Cavoli, Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), and General Philippe Lavigne, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT).

The meeting of the NATO Military Committee in Chiefs of Defense Session (MCCS) will enable the Chiefs of Defence to meet and discuss issues of strategic importance to the Alliance, the press service said.

NATO Deputy Secretary General, Mr. Mircea Geoană will join the Military Committee for the opening session to address the Alliance's key priorities and challenges.

The first session will see General Cavoli, SACEUR, brief the Chiefs of Defense on the progress made towards the implementation and executability of the DDA Family of Plans that was adopted at the Vilnius Summit in July 2023. Broader discussions will also be held on defense industrial capacity, operational planning and enablement.

General Lavigne will deliver a briefing during the second session and update on NATO's warfighting transformation.

In the third session, the Chiefs of Defense will discuss Integrated Air and Missile Defense in order to improve readiness, preparedness, and interoperability in peacetime, crisis, and times of conflict.

The fourth session will see the Chiefs of Defence provide additional direction and guidance regarding NATO’s military deterrence and defence priorities with a focus on key capability requirements ahead of the Washington D.C. Summit decisions and beyond.

"The last session of the first day the Chiefs of Defence will meet for the first time in a NATO-Ukraine Council format," the report reads.

The parties will discuss Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, the situation on the ground, and NATO and Allied continued support to Ukraine.

At the final session, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will meet with the leaders of the Alliance's armed forces and invited officials. Discussions will focus on current political objectives and guidance ahead of the Defense Ministerial in February 2024 and the Washington Summit in July 2024.

As reported, a two-day NATO foreign ministerial took place in Brussels, where the first meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Council at the level of foreign ministers was held.