I think your thought piece on NATO is excellent, but somewhat incomplete. NATO is the diplomatic and administrative headquarters, but the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) is the actual C2 for NATO military operations
In my opinion, the U.S. needs to back out of NATO and its operational counter part SHAPE and leave both to the EU (as you suggest). The U.S. could join Russia in an observer status at NATO, but would no longer be a voting member. Both NATO and SHAPE would be under the EU, but would include non-EU members (e.g. Turkey).
This would do two beneficial things: it would provide Europe with a dedicated all European military force; and it would facilitate the move towards greater integration of EU member countries.
The benefits to the U.S. would also be significant by forcing the U.S. to recognize that the Cold War is over and there is no longer any reason to have a major U.S. Military presence in Germany (Italy is another matter given its proximity to the still volatile Maghreb)
I think that your proposal for a dedicated EU-NATO Intelligence Organization is absolutely brilliant, but again I would add a second intelligence entity to SHAPE for support to military operations (SMO). Both of these organizations would be all European.
I too am a non-player in the power games inside the DC Beltway. If I had any influence you would not be unemployed. Frankly I believe that the executive and legislative branches of the U.S. Government have lost interest in governing this country and are just going through the motions. So expecting the U.S. to take the initiative with NATO is fruitless.
Susan Rice is a brilliant and effective woman who I suspect will be ignored by President Obama, just as he ignored the super competent General Jones (who I became acquainted with when he headed the U.S. DOD Delegation at NATO).
Keep fighting the good fight!
Richard (AKA Retired Reader)
ROBERT STEELE: Neither the USA nor the EU nor NATO understand “hybrid governance” at this time nor do they want to for the simple reason that hybrid governance demands intelligence with integrity. Information and intelligence are the means by which an infinite combination of partnerships can be formed, maintained or dissolved, modified, etcetera. That's called transformation.
See Also:
2013 Robert Steele: Concise Summary of Three Paths to a Prosperous World at Peace
2013 Robert Steele Answers on OSINT to PhD Student in Denmark 2.0
2013 Healing the Americas with an Open Source Agency
Berto Jongman: Human Security as Paradigm for Hybrid Governance
Graphic: Holistic Mind-Shift Toward Hybrid Public Governance of the Whole by the Whole for the Whole
Graphic: Public Governance & Feedback Loop Integrity Enhanced by Public Intelligence
Intelligence with Integrity Chapter 1: Public Governance & Public Intelligence
INTELLIGENCE with INTEGRITY: Chapter 5 Systems Thinking & True Cost Economics
NATO OSINT to OSE/M4IS2 Round-Up 2.0
SchwartzReport: Costs of (Allegedly) Hunting Terrorists versus (Alleged) Benefits of a Police State
Search: phd topics on the role of intelligence in peace support operation + Peacekeeping RECAP
Stuart Umpleby: “Ambidextrous Organization”
Yoda: Integral Science Is the Force — Joining Intelligence with Integrity