NATO Secretary General: NATO safeguards peace in an unpredictable world

At a Sciences Po Paris School of International Affairs event held virtually on Monday (18 January), NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg emphasised that in an unpredictable world, NATO is the strategy to deal with uncertainty and safeguard peace.

The Secretary General brought out that the nature of security is changing with lines between war and peace becoming increasingly blurred. “Our adversaries challenge us using bombs and aircraft, but also bots and algorithms,” he said. He added that NATO continues to adapt and has already done a lot to be best prepared for any threats at any time.

Mr. Stoltenberg reminded that he has launched NATO 2030 reflection process on the future of the Alliance that aims to keep the Alliance military strong, make it politically strong, and ensure it takes a more global approach.

“NATO is the only place where Europe and North America come together every single day. It is a unique platform,” he stressed and added that NATO should be used more to discuss issues that affect our common security, such as the consequences of climate change. “Neither America nor Europe can deal with such challenges on their own.”

The Secretary General brought out that he has also appointed a group of emerging, young leaders from across the Alliance to advise him on NATO 2030 and present their ideas in early February. NATO will also host ten universities to compete in NATO’s first ever policy hackathon to develop disruptive ideas on NATO’s future.