NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg addressed the Allied defence chiefs on Thursday (19 May 2022), at the start of the one-day Military Committee in Chiefs of Defence session. He outlined the changed security environment due to Russia’s brutal and unprovoked war in Ukraine, describing it as “crucial and dangerous time for Euro-Atlantic security.” President Putin is failing in his strategic objectives, the Secretary General said, “Ukraine stands, NATO remains strong, and transatlantic unity is solid”.
Mr. Stoltenberg thanked the thirty Chiefs of Defence for their valuable contributions to keep our people safe and defend every inch of NATO territory against threats from any direction. “It is important that we sustain our efforts and ‘reset’ our posture for the longer term”, he said, adding that “resetting does not mean starting from scratch. We will build on our ongoing adaptation” since Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014.
The Secretary General also thanked the defence chiefs for their input to NATO’s next Strategic Concept, which will be adopted by Alliance leaders at the Madrid Summit in June. The 2022 Concept “will drive the future adaptation of our Alliance, so that we are better prepared for an era of strategic competition and rising security threats”, Mr. Stoltenberg said.