The UN Command, which has been monitoring the situation in the front lines of South and North Koreas ever since the 1950-53 Korean War, proposed talks between the two sides after yesterday's gunbattle at sea.
In 2003 Nato took its operations outside Europe for the first time when it assumed strategic command of the UN-mandated peacekeeping force in and immediately around the Afghan capital, Kabul.
One Western naval officer says placing all the warships under a single command, perhaps of theUN, and adopting the same rules of engagement would help to make them more effective.