Programs
Journalists on a USNATO program in Afghanistan
The U.S. Mission to NATO (USNATO) manages a robust tours program, in partnership with U.S. embassies in NATO member, partner and contributor countries. USNATO invites policymakers, journalists and military officers – nominated by the staff of the American Embassies in Allied, Partner, and non-NATO countries -- to participate in a variety of tours.
Participants receive briefings from senior USNATO staff, including the U.S. Ambassador to NATO and Deputy Permanent Representative to NATO, subject experts on the staffs of the U.S. Mission to NATO, and other experts at NATO on the International Staff who brief our visitor groups on NATO activities and U.S. policy objectives on a host of security issues.
Most tour groups visit NATO Headquarters in Brussels and the Alliance’s other military headquarters in Europe, such as the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Mons, Belgium, the Allied Joint Force Command (JFC) Brunssum in the Netherlands, or the Joint Forces Command (JFC) Naples in Italy. Some tours focusing on Emerging Security Challenges at NATO have visited NATO and the Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence in Tallinn, Estonia. Other groups of editors and journalists have taken part in tours to Afghanistan, traveling to locations in Afghanistan to get a first-hand view of the Afghan transition process.
USNATO’s tours afford an excellent opportunity to learn about issues facing the Alliance – including NATO’s operations Afghanistan, Kosovo, and elsewhere, Missile Defense capabilities, Partnership activities, and NATO’s cyber security efforts – and how NATO and the United States are addressing these challenges.