NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg meet with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon in Washington D.C. Oct. 4, 2021 (Credit: nato.int)
By Gary Raynaldo DIPLOMATIC TIMES
WASHINGTON DC – U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III welcomed NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to the Pentagon Monday for discussions on the future of the alliance. They talked of the importance of continuing to strengthening the Transatlantic bond. The U.S. Defense Secretary in particular thanked Stoltenberg for helping lead the alliance through the withdrawal from Afghanistan and evacuation from the Afghan capital of Kabul last month.
“NATO’s power comes not just from its military might but from its unity and sense of common purpose. NATO entered Afghanistan as a united Alliance after invoking Article 5 after 9/11, and 20 years later, NATO left Afghanistan as a unified Alliance, thanks in large part to your dedication. We need continued investment in NATO’s deterrence and defense, as well as a revised strategic concept that will guide the Alliance’s approach to the evolving strategic environment. NATO remains the essential forum for consultation, decision and action on transatlantic security and defense issues, and NATO is a foundation on which we continue to build our collective security and shared prosperity. It’s the most powerful and successful Alliance in history and we’re going to keep it that way.”
-U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin
NATO Chief Said Transatlantic Alliance Must Stand Together Amid Challenges Of Russian and China Aggression
“We see Russia responsible for aggressive actions. We see more recently China is using its economic and military might, and we also face cyber threats, persistent terrorist threats, and also the security impact of climate change.”
-NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg
There is no country that can face these threats alone, the secretary general said. “We have to stand together, North America and Europe in NATO, and need to adapt the alliance to [the] changing security environment,” he said. “And that’s exactly what we are doing.”
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg meet with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon in Washington D.C. Oct. 4, 2021 (Credit: nato.int)
NATO Chief and U.S. President Biden Meet
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg meets with US President Biden at the White House October 4, 2021. (Credit: nato.int)
NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg is visiting Washington D.C. to meet senior United States officials and lawmakers. Stoltenberg met President Joe Biden at the White House. The NATO Secretary General said the Alliance continues to adapt to a more unpredictable world, where great power competition is rising, along with cyber threats, terrorism, and the security impact of climate change. He stressed that Allies are investing more in defence.
Stoltenberg said that Allies had taken the decision to leave Afghanistan together after many rounds of consultations. He stressed the mission had not been in vain, as for 20 years, no terrorist attacked have been launched on our countries from Afghanistan. “NATO Allies continue to work together to ensure the country does not again become a safe haven for terrorists,” Stoltenberg said, adding that the difficult decision on Afghanistan does not change the need for Europe and North America to stand together in NATO.
