WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd August, 2018) Belgium and Denmark will receive US-made air-to-ground Precision-Guided Munitions (PGMs) in the coming weeks for use in air operations or any potential crisis, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) announced in a release on Wednesday.
"Today (22 August 2018), the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) received the first lot of Precision Guided Munitions (PGMs), acquired through a NATO project involving 11 Allies and one NATO partner," the release said. "The PGMs, produced in the United States, will be delivered to their final recipients, Belgium and Denmark, in the coming weeks."
NATO noted that the first delivery is worth some $20 million.
"The delivery is part of a cooperation effort, launched in 2014 at the NATO Summit in Wales, which offers Allies a framework to acquire air-to-ground PGMs in a cost-effective and flexible way," the release added. "Working through this NATO initiative, rather than individually, allows Allies to draw upon each others PGM stocks in case of need: during air operations or in a possible crisis. This will also help NATO and Allies to reduce dependence on the US for air missions."
The NSPA manages the project, which is already joined by 11 NATO members, including Belgium, Denmark, Greece, and the United Kingdom, as well as by NATO partner Finland, the release noted.
"While continuing to expand this cooperation in the air domain, NATO has started to build similar frameworks for the acquisition of land and maritime munitions," the alliance said. "This is part of NATOs effort to increase joint investments in the critical capabilities that the Alliance needs."
The second and third rounds of acquisition for PGMs are already underway, according to NATO.
The NSPA signed a deal with the United States to acquire precision-guided munitions for eight European nations in December 2016.
