January 24, 2020
NATO SECRETARY GENERAL VISITS ALLIANCE GROUND SURVEILLANCE AIRCRAFT IN ITALY
By NATO Press Office
ATO Secretary General Jens N Stoltenberg welcomed
the arrival of two Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) remotely piloted aircraft at a ceremony in Sigonella, Italy on Friday (17 January 2020). The Secretary General outlined the importance of the AGS system, which will enable commanders to identify threats and view conditions on the ground, in any weather. “One single drone can watch over a territory with the comparable size NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg being briefed on the Alliance Ground Surveillance aircraft. (Photo curtesy of NATO Press Office) of Poland,” he said. The new unarmed surveillance aircraft can also fly for over and operated by all NATO Allies. All Allies 30 hours at a time. “It can reach the High will benefit from the intelligence derived North and the Sahel, the Middle East and the from AGS surveillance and reconnaissance Atlantic,” said the Secretary General. When missions. all five NATO RQ-4D aircraft are operational, Addressing military officials and industry, the Alliance will be able to monitor and help the Secretary General thanked Italy for protect two large regions around the clock. hosting the AGS system, and praised the The AGS system will be collectively owned commanders at Sigonella Air Base. “Today, NATO is filling an important intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability gap,” he said. He also congratulated the NATO AGS Management Organization and the NATO AGS Management Agency for the delivery of this milestone. Six hundred personnel from across the Alliance will operate the AGS system. “They are our newest force,” said Mr Stoltenberg. He stressed that AGS is a visible NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg being briefed on the Alliance Ground Surveillance demonstration of NATO’s aircraft. (Photo curtesy of NATO Press Office) commitment to innovation.
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