nato puts its faith in new hightech hq
Last Updated : GMT 09:03:51
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today
Last Updated : GMT 09:03:51
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today

NATO puts its faith in new high-tech HQ

Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today

Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today NATO puts its faith in new high-tech HQ

Brussels - AFP

Looking to a new role, NATO is pressing ahead with a high-tech, high-security headquarters to replace the supposedly temporary residence it ended up having to use for 50 years. Halfway through construction, the futuristic building of all-glass facades and interlocking concrete wings on the outskirts of Brussels is fast taking shape. "We are on track with the calendar and the budget," said Tony Carruth, head of the NATO HQ project office, during a visit this week. "We have been here -- in the old building -- much longer than what had been planned," Carruth said, describing the drab, low-profile HQ as having been "designed in the time of the type-writer." The US-led military alliance was born in the Cold War stand-off with the Soviet Union, but since the September 11, 2001 terror attacks on the United States, it has taken on a wider scope of operations, playing a key role in Afghanistan. Next year, however, the NATO Afghanistan mission comes to an end, with the focus switching to a future of cyber- and information-warfare. The new HQ will cost about 750 million euros ($1 billion), a big enough budget to raise some eyebrows when militaries around the world are complaining about stiff budget cuts. "The new headquarter is far from extravagant," NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General Matthew Klimow said. "It is a functional building that will allow us to say that NATO is ready for 21st-century challenges.... This (old) building has outlived its usefulness," Klimow said. Member states approved the headquarters plans in 1999, well before the global economic slump, in what was seen as a vote of confidence in NATO's future after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The current HQ, just across a busy highway out to the airport, dates from 1967 and was originally meant to be a stop-gap solution after then-host France withdrew from NATO's military structures and commitments. France returned to full membership in the alliance in 2009. The alliance now counts 28 members, up from 15 in 1967, as it has welcomed into the fold many ex-Soviet countries in eastern Europe. Security a priority A major part of the new HQ's budget is devoted to security in its widest sense for the 4,000 people working there each day. Security "is clearly a priority for an institution such as NATO," said Colonel Lieen Vahheste, who is overseeing the works on behalf of the Belgian government. Just as the September 11 attacks changed NATO's role, so they changed the building's requirements -- the facades and glass areas, including a huge central atrium where the wings join, are reinforced and protected against possible bomb blasts. Similarly, the perimeter has been upgraded with an anti-intruder system to deter unwanted visitors. As for the new threats of cyber-attacks and espionage, officials are extremely circumspect in what they will say, with the subject made even more sensitive by recent revelations of US spying on its allies. Snooping "is not only carried out by countries outside NATO such as Russia, but also between ourselves," one diplomat noted drily. Brussels, home to the major institutions of the European Union and many other international groups and businesses, plus a large diplomatic corps, has long been considered a real "spies' nest". Despite such concerns, the new HQ "will not be a bunker," Klimow said. "The new building is a vote of confidence in the future of NATO," said alliance spokeswoman Oana Lungescu.

almaghribtoday
almaghribtoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

nato puts its faith in new hightech hq nato puts its faith in new hightech hq

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

nato puts its faith in new hightech hq nato puts its faith in new hightech hq

 



Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Skincare PR Performance Full Year 2017

GMT 09:22 2018 Monday ,22 January

Skincare PR Performance Full Year 2017
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today New hunt for flight MH370 gets under way

GMT 11:03 2018 Wednesday ,24 January

New hunt for flight MH370 gets under way
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Modern colorful bedroom renovation

GMT 10:57 2017 Thursday ,21 December

Modern colorful bedroom renovation
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Puigdemont candidate for Catalan president

GMT 13:56 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Puigdemont candidate for Catalan president
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Turkey detains dozens more

GMT 10:47 2018 Wednesday ,24 January

Turkey detains dozens more

GMT 22:02 2017 Monday ,17 July

8 killed in Nigeria suicide bombing

GMT 04:42 2017 Sunday ,18 June

Korean Ambassador hosts iftar gathering

GMT 14:24 2014 Saturday ,29 November

Angelique unveils scintillating new collection

GMT 12:23 2015 Monday ,09 March

Lingerie brand Edwards & Millers launches

GMT 18:48 2017 Thursday ,28 September

All foreign flights to Iraq Kurd capital to stop Friday

GMT 11:47 2018 Tuesday ,16 January

Trump denies he's a racist as Americans honor King

GMT 13:22 2018 Wednesday ,10 January

IOC extends North Korea's Winter Olympics deadline

GMT 05:45 2013 Wednesday ,13 November

Australia Church child sex inquiry urges sweeping changes

GMT 12:48 2015 Saturday ,07 November

VW: Will pay clients tax rap over carbon emissions

GMT 09:02 2018 Thursday ,04 January

LAB SERIES launches MAX LS Power V Instant Eye Lift

GMT 12:05 2017 Wednesday ,08 March

Body Fantasies launches new fragrances

GMT 11:53 2017 Thursday ,28 December

Macron urges Saudi king to lift Yemen blockade

GMT 06:55 2017 Wednesday ,27 December

Female inspectors clamp down on commercial concealment

GMT 14:33 2017 Sunday ,24 December

Oman opens sprawling oryx reserve to ecotourists

GMT 19:23 2017 Saturday ,23 December

Indonesian pangolin faces extinction due to trafficking
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today
 
 Almaghrib Today Facebook,almaghrib today facebook  Almaghrib Today Twitter,almaghrib today twitter Almaghrib Today Rss,almaghrib today rss  Almaghrib Today Youtube,almaghrib today youtube  Almaghrib Today Youtube,almaghrib today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

.almaghribtoday .almaghribtoday .almaghribtoday .almaghribtoday
almaghribtoday almaghribtoday almaghribtoday
almaghribtoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
almaghribtoday, Almaghribtoday, Almaghribtoday