PRESS

qués, speeches, and initiatives. At the same time, through this
process, the EU and the EDA have developed a wide-ranging and
very ambitious menu of program priorities, with some more practical
than others. Of course, the fact remains that all EDA efforts
depemd wholly on having adequate resources made available
and, as importantly, on national government decisions to provide
funding and actual participation in specific activities. It remains to
be seen how much of this agenda can and will go beyond studies
and planning documents and be translated into active programs.
25. NATO is, in fact, developing a Connected Forces Initiative
to build on connections established in Afghanistan.
26. Multinational storage of Grippen aircraft spare parts is already
taking place among Sweden, the Czech Republic, and Hungary.
Such pooling and sharing among European allies could also
facilitate better burden sharing with the United States in meeting
NATO capability and force generation requirements. There might
be instances where the pooling and sharing should include the
United States, such as intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance;
special operations forces; and ballistic missile defense.
27. The principal NATO mechanisms for addressing industrial
matters are the Conference of National Armaments Directors
and the office of the NATO assistant secretary general for defense
investment.
28. As noted previously, NORDEFCO is developing activities
with Baltic nations. A forthcoming opportunity for cooperation
will arrive with the acquisition by several European nations of the
F-35 jet fighter. Norway and Britain have agreed to cooperate on
their maintenance and use, and Norway will seek to extend that
cooperation to the Netherlands.
29. For example, the very first signer of the memorandum of
understanding for the SAC program was partner nation Sweden,
and both Sweden and Finland have been active in various NATO
military missions and activities.
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