The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is an intergovernmental military alliance. They met on 5 October for consultations on the potential implications of the dangerous military actions of the Russian Federation in and around Syria. On 8 October NATO defence ministers gave further considerations to the implications for NATO's own security of the ‘troubling escalation of Russian military activities’ in Syria. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, said NATO is ready to deploy forces, if needed, to defend alliance member Turkey. ‘NATO is able and ready to defend all allies, including Turkey, against any threat,’ the secretary-general said on Thursday. He said NATO had already increased its capacity, ability and preparedness to deploy forces, including to the south, including in Turkey, if needed.