About the Author: Robert G. Bell is the Senior Civilian Representative of the Secretary of Defense in Europe (SECDEFREPEUR) and the Defense Advisor (DEFAD) to the U.S. Ambassador to NATO.
President Barack Obama and the other NATO leaders will meet in Chicago this weekend, and one of the issues they plan to highlight is their continued commitment to defense capabilities.
When we talk about capabilities in a military alliance like NATO, we are talking about the "hardware" that make up a military: the fighter jets, helicopters, ships, and other systems that are the true "pointy end of the sphere" in a modern military. Capabilities also include some less obvious things that allow our soldiers and sailors to do what we need them to do, like reconnaissance technology, secure computer networks, and the heavy-lifting ships and cargo aircraft that let us not only do what we need to do, but also where we need to do it.
The United States and our 27 NATO Allies make up the most effective alliance in human history. If the men and women of its armed forces… more »
President Obama will host leaders from around the world in Chicago this weekend for an important diplomatic summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). This Chicago Summit will be the first NATO summit on American soil in 13 years, and the first ever outside of Washington.
In addition to the opportunity to showcase one of our nation's great cities, our hosting of the summit in Chicago is a tangible symbol of the importance of NATO to the United States. It is also an opportunity to underscore to the American people the continued value of this alliance to security challenges we face today.
Indeed, NATO is vital to U.S. security. More than ever, the Alliance… more »
Touring a city with a group of students, parents, siblings, and teachers could be conceived as a relatively ordinary experience, except that I was touring the Forbidden City with American high school students studying abroad in China on the National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) program. The parents and siblings were members of their Chinese host families and the teachers are from their international high school, Beijing 80, known for its excellent academics and offering a unique cultural experience for its 3,000 students. The American students, who represent all corners of the United States, are perfecting their Mandarin skills, taking advantage of after school activities, living with host families, and learning about China's… more »
About the Author: Tom Weinz serves as the dedicated Foreign Service Officer for Pacific Partnership 2012.
I awoke this morning, May 14, to the soft strains of the call to prayer emanating from the stately mosque near my hotel -- an encouraging start to my first day back in Indonesia to prepare for the arrival of Pacific Partnership 2012 (PP12). Only two days ago I was on the deck of the incomparable hospital ship USNS Mercy sailing into Pearl Harbor. The scene at Pearl Harbor reminded me of movie versions depicting dockside activities prior to a voyage: there were mobile cranes everywhere, several eighteen-wheelers disgorging supplies, sailors, volunteers, and family members loaded down with duffels, suitcases, boxes, and crates to be tucked into the ship's relatively confined berthing areas.
Pearl Harbor was the initial PP12 interim port; in addition to taking on supplies and personnel, commanding officers met with Pacific Fleet counterparts, held a briefing at… more »
About the Author: Ambassador Eric Goosby serves as U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator.
What is the greatest gift we can give a mother this Mother's Day? There are many answers, but one is to help her live and help her children live a healthy life.
As we celebrate Mother's Day and think about mothers around the world, the American people are working through the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to make every day Mother's Day. This program is quietly saving lives every day, restoring the health and hope of mothers and children.
DipNote is the official blog of the U.S. Department of State —a place to share stories, discuss experiences, and inspire new ideas on the important foreign policy issues of the day. more »
Across the eastern Horn of Africa, more than 11 million people -- a number greater than the populations of Houston and New York City combined -- are now in need of emergency assistance to survive. Learn more about the current crisis, including how you can help.
May 23: The State Department, through its office of the U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), is pleased to announce $1.5 million in funding to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to support open governance and political participation in the Middle East and North Africa. more »
May 23: Today, Russia was invited to join the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) at a ceremony hosted by its parent body, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris. ã more »
![NATO foreign ministers attend a meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Dec. 3, 2009. [AP Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2010_0419_nato_meeting_m.jpg)
![Deputy Assistant Secretary Lee Satterfield tours the Forbidden City with NSLI-Y students, their host families, and teachers from their host school, Beijing 80, May 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0514_china_students_m.jpg)
![USNS Mercy takes on supplies for Pacific Partnership 2012 in Pearl Harbor, HI on May 9, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0514_pacific_partnership_m.jpg)
![Woman enters mobile healthcare clinic in Johannesburg, South Africa, Nov. 29, 2010. [AP File Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2011_0218_health_clinic_m.jpg)
