As we prepare for a more dangerous future, we must redouble our efforts to keep our citizens safe. Such a statement the NATO Secretary General made at the start of the Military Committee in Chiefs of Defence session.

In fact, the transformation of our Alliance over the last decade has been nothing short of remarkable. Since Russia illegally annexed Crimea and entered into eastern Ukraine in 2014, we have increased the readiness of our forces, we have deployed combat-ready troops to the east of the Alliance for the first time in our history, and European Allies and Canada have spent an additional 350 billion dollars extra on defence.

When President Putin launched his full-fledged invasion of Ukraine in 2022, we were therefore ready. Within hours, we activated all our defence plans, we put 40,000 troops under NATO command, backed by significant air and maritime power, and we strengthened our forward defences from the Baltic to the Black Sea. These actions reduce the risk of miscalculation and escalation beyond Ukraine by making crystal clear that we will defend every inch of NATO territory.

So this has been a decisive decade for our deterrence and defence thanks to you, Allied Chiefs of defence. So let me thank you all for your service, your leadership and you also, Admiral Bauer, for leading the Committee through very demanding and challenging times with a lot of decisive decisions.

As we prepare for a more dangerous future, we must redouble our efforts to keep our one billion citizens safe, and to uphold the rules-based international order. High-intensity warfare is back in Europe. Global competition is rising, authoritarian regimes are challenging our values, interests and security, and other threats are also multiplying. From terrorism to cyber-attacks; from nuclear proliferation to climate change. So we need to step up for this new era of strategic competition, and NATO is rising to the challenge”, - said Jens Stoltenberg.