NATO-TV

This is a report on the Afghan passport system, which now generates e-passport so customs officers can use biometrics to check the identity of the holder. The footage includes sound bites from the boss of the passport office in Kabul and various shots of people waiting to get passport. The previous non-electronic system left a lot of room for corruption, with people paying to have more than one passport. For a year and a half now, Afghan citizens have been able to apply for e-passports, which provide biometric data that can be used to identify the holder. The new system has made it harder for criminals and insurgents to travel. This version includes graphics or voiceover.

The Afghan government, NATO and the US government have now signed agreements, thanks to which foreign troops will be able to operate in Afghanistan from next year. It comes a day after the inauguration of the new Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and the appointment of Abdullah Abdullah as CEO. This report includes footage of the signing of the key documents, a soundbite from the Commander of ISAF and the NATO Ambassador to Afghanistan.

People from all over the world are reportedly spending more and more on weddings, and since the fall of the Taliban, Afghanistan is no exception. With recent government attempts to put a cap on wedding costs proving futile, the popularity of group weddings has increased. In this piece, we witness a group wedding, interview the governor that made it possible, a wedding dress shopkeeper, and a groom. It is filmed at a wedding dress shop and wedding hall in Kabul.

Teaser: Could massive group weddings of up to 100 couples be the answer to Afghanistan’s soaring wedding costs?

Originally designed for half a million inhabitants, Afghanistan’s sprawling capital city of Kabul now houses more than three million people. NATOChannel takes an in-depth look at housing and the struggling infrastructure surrounding it.

Interviews with city officials, property dealers and builders in and around Kabul city. An in-depth look at the current property market, both rental and construction. The Kabul property boom which took off after 2001 shows no signs of slowing, despite wobbles during the recently overcome election impasse. Despite being a benefit for the economy, extensive construction on unplanned and unapproved land is putting a strain on the infrastructure of the city. We look at the work of the municipality’s ‘Kabul Solidarity Programme’, or KSP, which aims to provide basic services to unplanned areas and legally bring them into the government’s fold.

New NATO Secretary General visits fighter pilots from Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and the United States, as well as the AWACS aircraft and crew at Lask Air Base in Poland. Soundbites from NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Canadian Air Task Force Commander, Lt Col David Pletz.

An exploration of the threat from militants of the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Syria near Turkey’s border and what NATO can do to protect its Ally. Interviews with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, former EU Ambassador to Turkey Marc Pierini and former Deputy Director of the United States National Counterterrorism Center Andrew Liepman.

With the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) only kilometres from its border, Turkey’s security challenges are evolving. What role can NATO play to help secure its southern-eastern Ally?

The Afghan commandos based in Helmand Province have been fighting heavily in northern districts, including Sangin over the past year. As US forces leave Camp Leatherneck and British forces leave Camp Bastion, the Afghan 7th Commando Battalion at adjacent Camp Shorabak will remain, along with the regular Afghan National Army, running operations by road and by air (when helicopters are available). This package includes footage of a ride-along on a convoy from Camp Shorabak to Gereshk police headquarters, footage of life on base, file footage of Afghan commando night operations, interviews with commanders, the District Governor of Nahri Saraj and with commandos.

Allied maritime forces including Spain seek NATO NRF certification with this large-scale international readiness exercise. Directed by NATO Maritime Command at Northwood in the United Kingdom, this multinational exercise in the Mediterranean brings together no fewer than 23 vessels and some 5,000 personnel from 14 different NATO and partner nations. Headed by the Spanish flagship Castilla, warships, submarines, combat aircraft, helicopters and amphibious assault craft are training in Mediterranean waters as part of a high-threat simulation. The objective is to train for collective defense, upholding Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty and sharpening rapid reaction crisis management forces. This exercise is a NATO Response Force (NRF) certification, exercise for those forces that will be part of next year’s high readiness NRF to ensure they are capable of responding to a rapid response scenario. With the current situation in Iraq, Syria and Ukraine, this training is very important. This version includes graphics or voiceover.

For the first time, NATO and Jordan have launched a cyber defense project in Jordan to help defend Jordanian critical infrastructure, such as energy plants and telecommunications equipment. This is designed to protect key parts of the country from attacks by criminal or terrorist organizations, such as ISIS. NATOChannel visited the country to find out how the project will protect a country that has ISIS fighters right on its border. ISIL is well known for its appalling physical attacks. But the group is also increasingly using cyber as a means of attack. A severe cyber attack could pave the way for a more devastating military attack. And that’s why NATO is helping Jordan with a new project on cyber defense. This version includes graphics and voiceover.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has put the economy high up on his agenda., In a step towards this goal, Kabul hosted the “First International Rebuild Exhibition and Conference”, a platform for government officials, private sector, and Chamber of Commerce members to meet, do business, and set development targets and programmes to help rebuild Afghanistan. This piece has footage from the exhibition and a factory, an interview with Atiqullah Nasrat the Chief Executive Officer for the Chamber of Commerce and interviews with various businessmen.

Teaser: Afghanistan is building up its economy after over 30 years of conflict. President Ghani has put the economy high up on his agenda and has declared the country “truly open for business”.