Macron in the way of Ben Wallace becoming next NATO secretary-general
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Sources told The Telegraph that many countries, mostly France, are insisting on the next secretary-general being from an EU nation.
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French President Emmanuel Macron at Irbil international airport in Iraq, on Sunday, August 29, 2021. (AP)
According to The Telegraph, Emmanuel Macron is trying to block Ben Wallace from becoming the next NATO secretary-general due to Brexit.
The UK Defense Secretary has been mentioned as a possible successor to Jens Stoltenberg when his mandate expires this September. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is the front-runner to succeed him.
Incumbent NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg was supposed to resign on October 1, 2022, but in March of the same year, the leaders of NATO member states decided to extend his mandate until September 30, 2023.
The Telegraph reported that French officials have informed NATO counterparts that they want an EU frontman. The decision is part of France's ambition to make the bloc more militarily autonomous and less reliant on Washington for security.
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Sources told The Telegraph that many countries, mostly France, are insisting the next secretary-general must be from an EU nation.
Macron has the backing of Germany, the Netherlands, and Poland.
French authorities are said to be concerned about the status of the British Armed Forces due to budget cuts, despite Macron's prior announcement that France will increase military expenditure by more than a third by 2030.
Macron has played a key role in Brussels' preparations for a 5,000-strong fast response "land, air, and maritime" force. Critics worry that the decision will weaken NATO's status as Europe's primary security guarantee.
The force will comprise Special Forces troops, intelligence agents, medical and evacuation professionals, as well as air and sealift elements, according to EU plans. Additionally, it will be expected to enforce ceasefires, secure airlifts, securely evacuate EU nationals in emergencies, and provide emergency humanitarian aid.
Other duties might include intelligence collection, reconnaissance, and surveillance.
It would be supported by a command center staffed by 350 EU officers capable of planning and executing deployment activities.
The US' messy withdrawal from Afghanistan is what prompted the proposals, when EU leaders realized they needed a plan to act independently of NATO and the US.
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France undermining the cohesion of the alliance
Wallace recently told German media that although it's a job he would like, he also "loves" the job he currently holds.
According to Sir Julian Lewis, a former chairman of the Commons defense committee, NATO serves as a means to align the defense of European states with the US, adding that preventing Wallace from becoming secretary-general due to Brexit "shows wilful disregard of the different roles of the two organizations and undermines the cohesion of the alliance.”
The former Norwegian Prime Minister, who has commanded NATO for over a decade, has stated that he wishes to resign. However, extending his term due to the disagreement would force him to make the decision regarding Sweden's membership.
Stoltenberg has made it his personal goal to oversee negotiations with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in order to override the Nordic nation's veto.
