NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg officially introduced his reflections on NATO for 2030 on Monday 8 June, with the aim of adapting the Alliance to a changing world.
“My vision for NATO 2030 is not about reinventing NATO. It is about making our strong Alliance even stronger”, he described at an event organised by the German Marshall Fund and the Atlantic Council.
To achieve this, Mr Stoltenberg focuses on three areas: “Stay strong militarily. Be more united politically. And take a broader approach globally”.
The Secretary General therefore first of all recalled that the Allies must continue to invest in their armed forces and in modern military capabilities.
“But military strength is only part of the answer. We also need to use NATO more politically”, he explained. The aim, he said, is to bring all issues affecting the security of the Allies to the table in order to forge a stronger consensus sooner and more systematically. Mr Stoltenberg explained that using the Alliance from a more political perspective meant using a broader range of tools, military and non-military, economic and diplomatic.
“NATO may not always be on the front line to act. But it must always be the forum for frank discussion and genuine consultation”, the Secretary-General said. Recalling that NATO was the only place that brought Europeans and North Americans together on a daily basis, he explained that the Alliance, which already had the necessary structures and institutions, needed the political will to be used.
Finally, the Secretary General stressed that in a world “where there is more competition, where we see China moving closer to us, from the Arctic to cyberspace, NATO needs a more comprehensive approach”.
And it’s through a network of global partners, according to Stoltenberg, who cited Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea. The aim is therefore to work even more closely with like-minded countries “to defend global rules and institutions, to establish norms and standards on space and cyberspace, new technologies and global arms control, and to defend a world based on freedom and democracy”.
Asked about China, Mr Stoltenberg explained that his Alliance did not see China as a “new enemy”, but that its rise was changing the balance of power. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)