NATO chief warns of challenges after 'black year'

NATO head Jens Stoltenberg urged the alliance Friday to brace for further challenges after a "black year" of Russian intervention in Ukraine and terror attacks on Europe's streets.
      
Unveiling NATO's 2014 annual report, Stoltenberg said a new rapid reaction force would help cope with a changing security environment but urged the 28 member states to keep their commitments to boost defence spending.       

"2014 was not a good year for European security. In fact it was a black year," said Stoltenberg, the former Norwegian prime minister who took over as NATO Secretary General in October.
      
"Our security environment has fundamentally changed," he said.
     
He highlighted Russia's role in Ukraine as a key problem, saying it was defying international norms, destabilising the country and intimidating its neighbours.
      
Russia's increased defence capabilities including the ability to launch snap military exercises on a huge scale were "part of the reason why we have decided to change our defence posture", he said.
      
Stoltenberg also warned of the threat from the Islamic State and other extremist groups on NATO's borders, especially after the Paris attacks earlier this month in which homegrown jihadists killed 17 people.
     
"To the south, violent extremism is at our borders. Spreading turmoil across North Africa and the Middle East and fuelling terrorism on our own streets," he said.
      
The NATO chief said defence ministers meeting next week would finalise the list of countries taking part in a so-called "spearhead" quick reaction force which the alliance's leaders agreed at a summit in September.
      
Command and control centres would be set up in the Baltic...