Cost-saving ‘cluster’ plan suggested for Nato

GeRMAny has called for closer military integration between groups of nato countries as the alliance grapples with how to keep its defences strong at a time of falling military spending.

Germany’s proposal, discussed by nato defence ministers at a Brussels meeting yesterday, is that big nato nations act as “framework nations” leading a cluster of smaller nato allies.

These clusters of countries would jointly provide some military capabilities or develop new ones for the benefit of the whole alliance, with the lead nation coordinating their efforts.

The idea could be a way of plugging gaps in the armoury of european nato countries such as air-to-air refuelling aircraft, a shortage of which was exposed during the nato bombing campaign of Libya in 2011.

The idea was welcomed by nato secretary-general Anders Fogh Rasmussen and by Britain, but diplomats said some other countries, including France, had concerns, fearing it could undermine countries’ sovereignty and lead to over-specialisation.

“Does that lead to a kind of specialisation which could be dangerous if some nations specialise only in certain types of mission and disengage from others?,” one diplomat said.

Some diplomats also worry that a cluster system could make it more difficult for nato to use forces on operations because a parliament in one country could effectively veto military action by other nations in the cluster.

Germany, Italy, Spain and others declined calls by nato in 2006 to move troops based in calm areas of Afghanistan to the violent south.

The United States has voiced alarm about the gulf between its military spending and capabilities and those of its european allies. The German proposal would help share the cost of expensive military systems at a time when many nato allies are slashing defence spending in response to the economic crisis.