NATO deploying 360-degree defense strategy amid Middle East escalation: special representative

NATO is reinforcing its defensive posture through a comprehensive 360-degree approach to counter rising threats from the Middle East, a senior official confirmed Wednesday.

Speaking to Anadolu on the sidelines of NATO’s summit in the Turkish capital Ankara, Javier Colomina, the alliance’s special representative for the southern neighbourhood, said the security environment has become one of the most challenging in decades.

“The war in the region and the security context in general is one of the most difficult ones that we’ve seen in the last decades,” he said.

Iran war was a test for NATO’s readiness, he said, adding that they successfully intercepted missiles launched by Tehran that were heading toward Turkish territory.

This proves that the alliance has “the right posture,” he said.

Touching upon the 360-degree approach, he said it requires NATO to monitor and respond to threats from all geographical directions.

STRAIT OF HORMUZ, MARITIME SECURITY

Colomina said that after carefully monitoring the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, NATO decided not to take on a direct operational role.

“Right now, with regard to the Strait of Hormuz, NATO has decided not to take an active role, but we are encouraging our allies to take that role through the multilateral, multinational maritime mission,” Colomina said.

The mission, currently led by France and the UK, involves several other allied nations working to ensure the free flow of goods.

The representative noted that NATO would readjust its stance on the strait if member states feel the need to do so.

The regional war, which began Feb. 28 has placed the security of global energy corridors at the forefront of the Ankara summit’s agenda.

NEW ‘FLAGSHIP’ PROJECTS WITH GULF PARTNERS

NATO is expanding cooperation with partners in the Middle East and North Africa through its Southern Neighbourhood Action Plan, launched two years ago at the Washington summit to help regional partners build resilience against asymmetric threats.

Colomina said the alliance is launching four major “flagship projects” under the 2004 Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI) to address the security needs of its Gulf partners — Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

The projects will focus on counter-drone capabilities, maritime security, Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) defense, and counterterrorism cooperation.

“Those flagship projects are meant to be a completely different way of cooperating with these four countries to strengthen our cooperation, to strengthen their own security, and to strengthen through that our shared security,” Colomina said.

PRAISE FOR TÜRKİYE

Colomina praised the Turkish defense sector as a “very strong” pillar of NATO, noting that more than 3,000 Turkish companies are now integrated into the alliance’s supply chains.

He noted that NATO’s Defense Industry Forum in Ankara has facilitated agreements worth tens of billions of dollars between private contractors and allied governments. He also praised Ankara’s contributions extending beyond its borders, with missions in Bulgaria and Hungary, and an international peacekeeping force in Kosovo.