Remarks by U.S. Ambassador Ries - Seminar of Center for Civil-Military Relations (February 5, 2007)

Prime Minister Berisha, Honorable Ministers, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen.  One of the things that makes Albania stand out among its neighbors is the enthusiastic support for NATO accession among the public as well as the nation's leaders. 

Albania has shown its dedication to NATO ideals in many ways, but notably by putting its military in harm's way supporting the NATO mission in Afghanistan, the coalition in Iraq, and peacekeeping in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

As the Prime Minister has mentioned, the Ministry of Defense and the Albanian Armed Forces are currently engaged in a major reform in order to prepare for NATO membership.

NATO membership and national defense, however, require much more than popular support and reforms in the military. They demand a government-wide approach to defense -- one which draws on close cooperation between various ministries, based on their unique responsibilities and capabilities. And so, I am very glad to see you all here today.

In early December of last year, a team from the Center for Civil-Military Relations based at the U.S. Partnership for Peace Education and Training Center in Monterey, California visited with MOD officials to discuss military reforms. At that time, the team identified a need to better define the roles of ministries and agencies related to defense under conditions of peace, tension, crisis, and war.

This seminar will help to do just that. We are very fortunate to have as our facilitators three individuals with extensive military experience: Dr. Antonins Bernard, Dr. Ian Murumets, and Mr. Keneth Strain. They have advised several governments on this topic with great success.

This seminar is meant to spur discussions among you to define the appropriate roles of and interactions between different government ministries and agencies and how these roles and interactions might change according to different scenarios.

Let me give you a couple of examples of what I mean by changing roles from our own experience in the United States.  In times of peace, the national budget is negotiated between the White House and Congress as an all-inclusive document, but in a time of war this changes – the Department of Defense has special powers that allow it to request extraordinary funding to defend our nation.

Similarly, in the event of a terrorist attack, regulations under which commercial airliners fly may change quickly pending interagency consultation between the Department of Defense, Homeland Security, and the Federal Aviation Administration.

In both of these examples, the relationships, but also the powers and responsibilities, of two or more ministries or agencies shift in response to a change in the security environment.

Each situation is unique and requires very specific measures; and it is for this reason that the overall framework under which government agencies interact needs to be clearly defined. 

Habits of cooperation developed together during times of peace facilitate sound decisions during times of crisis or accidents.

As you get started, let me stress again the importance of this exercise within the NATO context. An effective national defense built on military-civilian cooperation and clear definition of duties and responsibilities of the various ministries and agencies of the government is a sine qua non for NATO members. 

Close consultation and cooperation within clearly defined trees of responsibility allows NATO members to react quickly and succinctly to any crisis situation and to function efficiently in times of peace as well. 

For those of you who will be participating in the exercise, representing your ministries and agencies this week, I urge you to participate with imagination and energy as you determine a comprehensive approach to national defense and to dealing with potential threats to your national security, which you could face in the future.

I want to especially thank the Prime Minister, the Speaker and other ministers for coming here today. I think that this gives a very good, positive impulse to the seminar as it begins.

Thank you very much.

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