The United States has said it is reducing the number of forces in the Balkans. What is NATO's commitment in the region and how long do you envision a NATO presence there?

NATO's commitment remains strong in the Balkans, with respect to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and Kosovo. There remain several thousand NATO troops still operating in the region. There is no timetable for a NATO withdrawal from BiH or Kosovo. NATO remains committed to SFOR and KFOR until the peace process is firmly established, the rule of law is uniformly recognised, and democratic elections and institutions take root. The United States -- along with most of the supporting nations -- has been drawing down its force structure in the area for years.

US Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld has advocated a transformation of US forces in Europe. What does this mean for the US European Command and how will it affect countries in Southeast Europe?

As part of the US Department of Defence's (DOD) overall effort to transform itself, the US European Command is looking at ways to transform and shape our forces and infrastructure. Our vision to transform will increase our flexibility, agility and efficiency throughout the 93 countries in our area of responsibility.

DOD transformation is comprised of four major elements: technology, institutional reform, operational concepts plus acquisition and resource management.

In light of the enlargement of the NATO alliance that's growing eastward, it is logical that we, as the US military component, will more fully engage these new allies in military exercises and operations to increase readiness and strengthen interoperability. In that same vein, we need to look to the south, to the northern part of Africa, to address our interests in this region of the world.

Over the next few years we will develop and refine our transformation plan, to include consulting with many of our partner countries and their militaries. In the near future, we will look at measures that require minimal lead time and relatively low cost as a way of starting this process.

What is your idea for reshaping the structure of the US European Command?

The current US European Command force posture must be reshaped to meet the needs of our changing region and the emerging interests and challenges for the 21st century. We need to apply 21st century technology and 21st century transformation to still what is, for us in Europe, a 20th century basing strategy. Expeditionary basing, with reduced infrastructure and rotational manning, is an example of the direction we will go to enable more flexible, effective and efficient operating forces. Expeditionary basing is agile versus permanent, and the result of co-operation and hard work with our allies as NATO pushes eastward.

NATO has indicated that the formation of its Rapid Reaction Force will be completed this autumn. Can you give us details of its mission and how it would be employed?

The role of the NATO Response Force (NRF) is to provide an integrated and fully interoperable sea, land and air capability, under a single command, wherever the North Atlantic Council requires, to prevent conflict or threat from escalating.

The exact missions have not been determined. I can tell you that the NRF will deploy when and where necessary, in support of the collective will of the Alliance. Missions could include: non-combatant evacuation operations, humanitarian assistance, crisis response including peacekeeping, counterterrorism, and embargo operations. In addition, the NRF will serve as the initial entry force facilitating the arrival of follow-on forces when necessary. Our goal is to have initial operational capability by October 2004 and full operational capability by October 2006.