BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Most European allies are “hollowing out” their armies as they slash Defense spending, casting doubt on whether Europe can remain a viable military partner of the United States, the outgoing U.S. ambassador to NATO said on Monday.

Many Western European countries have slashed Defense spending in response to austerity induced by the 2008 financial crisis and the United States now accounts for nearly three-quarters of total NATO Defense spending, Ivo Daalder said.

ZARAGOZA, Spain (Reuters) – At military exercises in northern Spain, French and Spanish fighters fly alongside Swedish and Czech transport aircraft while a multinational team of mechanics changes the engine on a Belgian plane.

On display is “pooling and sharing” – the idea that cash-strapped European allies can retain their military muscle and keep their budgets in check by cooperating on how they buy and operate costly yet critical defence equipment.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Wednesday it was unacceptable for Russian forces to put up a fence on the border of Georgia’s breakaway province of South Ossetia, believing it could further inflame tensions in the region.

But he also chided Georgia, which wants to join NATO and the European Union, over the arrest of former officials.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – NATO fleshed out plans on Wednesday for the smaller training and advisory mission it will leave in Afghanistan once it ends combat operations at the end of 2014, including which allies will take charge of the mission in each region of the country.

But the military alliance did not spell out how many troops would stay on, with several countries waiting for lead nation the United States to detail its commitment before making pledges of their own.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – NATO ministers agreed on Tuesday to strengthen the organization’s cyber defenses but differed about how much NATO should do to protect smaller allies from potentially devastating hacking attacks.

Last year, NATO dealt with over 2,500 “significant cases” of cyber attacks on its systems, NATO’s chief, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, said at the alliance’s first in-depth review of cyber defence, a meeting that showed how the issue has risen to the top of the security agenda.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – NATO defence ministers hold their first review of cyber defence next week in a sign the issue is making its way to the top of the alliance’s agenda as fears grow that Western infrastructure and military secrets are vulnerable to hackers.

Daily reports about government and private firms’ computer systems coming under attack have highlighted the importance of defending NATO computer networks, particularly systems which are used to coordinate military actions among the 28 allies.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – NATO defense ministers hold their first review of cyber defense next week in a sign the issue is making its way to the top of the alliance’s agenda as fears grow that Western infrastructure and military secrets are vulnerable to hackers.

Daily reports about government and private firms’ computer systems coming under attack have highlighted the importance of defending NATO computer networks, particularly systems which are used to coordinate military actions among the 28 allies.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Britain and France are free to supply weapons to Syrian rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad from August, after attempts to renew an EU arms embargo on Syria failed on Monday.

After a marathon negotiating session in Brussels, EU governments failed to bridge their differences and let a ban on arming the opposition expire, with France and Britain scoring a victory at the expense of EU unity.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Britain and Austria clashed on Monday over whether the European Union should ease an arms embargo to help Syrian rebels, threatening the unity of the bloc’s Syria policy.

Britain and France are pushing hard for the easing of the arms embargo to support rebels ahead of a peace conference sponsored by the United States and Russia expected next month.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union may end this week either helping Syrian rebels or the Damascus government they detest, depending on how EU ministers resolve differences over a package of sanctions on Syria that is about to lapse.

At a meeting in Brussels on Monday, the main EU military powers, Britain and France, will argue forcefully for easing some of that embargo to help channel weapons to rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad. But Austria, Sweden and several others will defend maintaining the sanctions across the board.