'Difficult territory' for NATO

NATO has sent five AWACS planes to the U.S. as part of the war against terror

By CNN Correspondent Diana Muriel

BRUSSELS, Belgium (CNN) -- NATO was forged in the Cold War as a defence against Soviet communism. But now its purpose is radically changing.

The change began with the first-ever invocation of Article 5 of NATO's treaty, when it declared the September 11 terror attack on the United States was an attack on all 19 member nations.

Also, this is a new kind of war -- one against terrorism, not an invading military force.

"It has set a very important precedent that it is now acting against a terrorist act as opposed to a massive land invasion, which is what Article 5 was originally envisioned for," says Sharon Wriggle of the Centre for European Security and Disarmament.

"Also it is acting against a non-state sub-state actor which is not a nation-state but a group of individuals that can move across borders. That is very difficult territory for NATO to get into."

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The main U.S. strategy has been to request assistance from individual countries, not from NATO as a whole.

Britain is actively engaged, flying bombing missions and offering troops. France and Germany stand ready.

NATO denies other countries are less committed. "There is no wavering," says NATO spokesman Yves Brodeur. "The European members of NATO reaffirmed their solidarity. I think around the NATO North Atlantic Council table, you will find again the same thing -- that all allies are firmly side-by-side with the U.S."

But analysts say some NATO countries quietly disagree -- arguing behind closed doors that the conflict in Afghanistan is too far away.

Meanwhile, defence experts say the U.S. wants to control the military campaign, unhindered by the consensus needed in NATO decision-making.

"It would be much easier for them to rally support to intervene militarily if it's in the Euro-Atlantic area, which is the term that NATO's always using," says Wriggle. "This is pretty Far East, and it is very much seen as a U.S. campaign."

NATO has followed up its expressions of solidarity with some concrete assistance.

In early October, NATO Secretary-General George Robertson announced eight measures including overflight clearance for military aircraft, access to ports and airfields, increased intelligence sharing and the deployment of NATO naval forces in the eastern Mediterranean.

But the most visible support lent by NATO has been the deployment of five AWACS early warning system aircraft to the United States -- replacing U.S. aircraft that are being used elsewhere in the war against terrorism.