Manama: The commitment of the Nato allies to shared responsibility and leadership will be demonstrated by the decisions to be taken at the Chicago Summit, Nato Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said.
"By working more closely together, we will prevent the financial crisis from turning into a security crisis.
"We will ensure that, by the end of this decade and into the next, Nato emerges not just as a leaner alliance, but also one that is stronger and more flexible," he said ahead of the summit in Chicago tomorrow and Monday.
Sharing the responsibility means each member plays a full, fair and active part in all aspects of the alliance's activities.
"We live in an unpredictable world. Nobody anticipated the Libya crisis last year, but Nato demonstrated that we are capable of responding quickly, flexibly and effectively," the secretary-general said.
New strategy
Nato is already implementing its new strategy, but is doing it against the background of one of the worst economic crises in a generation, Rasmussen said. Several countries are reducing their defence budgets, and the cuts will shape future military capabilities and dictate Nato's actions.
"We need to maintain the ability to put together complex joint operations, at short notice, with high impact and high precision. So we will continue to need flexible, rapidly deployable forces," he said.