Meeting of NATO Defence Ministers will be held in Brussels.

Ministers are expected to take a series of decisions on the NATO Command Structure and military readiness, discuss plans for a NATO training mission in Iraq, and review progress in achieving more defence spending and better burden sharing. They will also discuss NATO-EU cooperation, and hold a meeting on the Resolute Support training mission in Afghanistan.

The issue of formation of new reserve forces will be discussed as well. As Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated, this would mean that Allies would have, by 2020, 30 mechanised battalions, 30 air squadrons, and 30 combat vessels ready within 30 days or less.

The ministerial will close with a meeting on Afghanistan, together with partners contributing to the Resolute Support mission.  “Allies and partners are stepping up – with both forces and funding,” said the Secretary General. He noted that around 3,000 more trainers have been added to the mission, and that discussions are underway to extend funding for the Afghan forces beyond 2020.

The meeting will last for two days. Georgian delegation will also participate in the Ministerial tomorrow.