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Create an account Reset password Already have an account? Log in From now on you can download videos from our website If you would also like to subscribe to the newsletter and receive our latest updates, click on the button below. Enter the email address you registered with and we will send you a code to reset your password. The password must be at least 12 characters long, no spaces, include upper/lowercase letters,...
Create an account Reset password Already have an account? Log in From now on you can download videos from our website If you would also like to subscribe to the newsletter and receive our latest updates, click on the button below. Enter the email address you registered with and we will send you a code to reset your password. The password must be at least 12 characters long, no spaces, include upper/lowercase letters, numbers and symbols. Click the button to return to the page you were on and log in with your new password. 17 May 2010 8 MIN READ NATO Secretary General Anders Gogh Rasmussen : I have been looking very much forward to this day, the presentation of the Report on the New Strategic Concept from the Group of Experts under leadership of Secretary Albright. First, let me thank Secretary Albright, Mr. van der Veer and all the members of the Group for the hard work they’ve put into preparing this excellent Report. I selected each member for his or her experience, expertise and energy. I had high expectations, and they have been fully met. When I launched this process, I emphasised that it should be the most transparent and inclusive in NATO’s history. The Group shared that view and took it to heart. They consulted very broadly: from NATO experts, to parliamentarians, to think tanks and academics, to the general public, in NATO and Partner countries. This Report has a small number of authors, but thousands of contributors. And I believe it is the better for it. This Report is not the Strategic Concept itself, but it is a very important first step in preparing the new Concept. The Report is now on our website, and I’m sure it will stimulate quite some discussion. I will follow the debate closely, and take both the Report and the discussion into account when I prepare the first draft of the Strategic Concept itself, as you know it which will be approved by Heads of State and Government in Lisbon this November. This Report is a very solid basis for the discussions to come. The Group has taken a hard look at global security trends, and given a frank and honest assessment of those areas where we need to transform, in order to be fully up to meeting the security challenge of the 21st Century. I will leave it to Secretary Albright to present the findings of the Report to you. But let me touch briefly for you some of what I consider to be some of the highlights. First: the report confirms that NATO’s foundations are as important as ever, and should only be reinforced: the transatlantic link; the commitment to collective defence; the openness to new members. NATO’s core purpose was, is, and will remain to provide for the security of its members. But the Report is equally clear that, these days, providing for the security of our members means doing many things differently. Among many important points: It means taking on new challenges, such as cyber-attacks and missile attacks. It means broadening our political consultations within NATO, and making fuller use of Article 4 of the Washington Treaty. It means engaging much more intensely and more broadly with global partners. As the Report says, Partnerships will be a central part of our daily work. I fully agree. In the execution of operations it means a comprehensive approach that combines military and civilian elements. These are the lessons learnt from Afghanistan. It means working for a real partnership with Russia – based on shared interests and reciprocity. And it means reforming this organisation. The Report is very clear that NATO reform is not just a nice slogan; it is essential. And I fully share this view. There is a lot more in there. So let me now turn to Secretary Albright to present the Group’s work in more detail, after which we will be happy to take your questions. And I close by thanking Secretary Albright, Jeroen van der Veer and all the members of the Group of Experts very much for your excellent work, on behalf of all the Allies. And before giving the floor to Secretary Albright let me extend a special word of appreciation to you, your energy, your vast diplomatic experience and your leadership have guided the Group skillfully to this successful conclusion. And I cannot think of anybody else who could have performed this challenging task so well. MADELEINE ALBRIGHT (Chair of the Group of Experts) : Thank you very much, Mister Secretary General. And it has indeed been my honor to have chaired this remarkable group of experts to report with you and the terrific staff at NATO. I think this has been one of the most interesting tasks that I have been given. I grew up with NATO. It is to me a very important alliance. And I'm delighted to have had the opportunity to participate in providing some of the building blocks for your strategic concept that will indeed make clear that this is a 21st century alliance. I think that we took in some ways the concept that, in fact, the alliance in the 21st century has to be agile and flexible in a time of unpredictability. And that it was very important to do two things is to truly reassure the members of NATO that article 5 remains a core aspect of the Alliance and that at the same time that we are prepared in order to promote the security of the Alliance to be willing to take on challenges abroad. So the title... excuse me... of Short Security and Dynamic Engagement does in fact reiterate the importance of article 5 and the dynamic engagement emphasizes that we need to deepen our partnerships and work cooperatively to prevent the challenges that emanate from beyond the North Atlantic region from actually reaching our shores. I think that it's very clear that an Alliance in the 21st century needed to have some adjustments because the threats are so totally different. I call this a little bit a renewal of our vows that NATO cannot let the 21st dangers divide leaders and weaken our collective resolve. That it is important that at this stage we understand who we are and how we're going to operate. I think that what is new in this report is that the report is the first opportunity to reflect on what NATO has done since the last strategic concept in 1999. The Alliance is obviously larger and has to respond from threats around the world. And therefore I think this new concept of partnership is something that needs to be focussed on much more. We call for enhanced partnerships for many nations and other international organizations and non-governmental entities. We also call for enhanced political consultations and crisis management mechanisms. And we are looking at ways how to deal with new threats from non-State actors. We have also made some proposals as the Secretary General has mentioned on how to make progress with Russia. And we have stressed the need to improve NATO's efficiency and effectiveness. I think that we have understood throughout this process something that the Secretary General emphasized which is the importance of transparency and public support. We are an Alliance of democracies which is the basis of the Alliance itself, which obviously means that our publics need to understand what this is all about in the 21st century. So I think that we have in fact pointed out that we need to reaffirm our... a cooperative view of Atlantic security order and that we need to reach out to the partners in order to deal with the unpredictability in the 21st century. And I think now we're happy to answer questions. But Mister Secretary General, let me end by saying that I thank you tremendously for your support and friendship in this. You now have the difficult job of taking these various building blocks and consulting further and providing the Alliance with the leadership that it needs in this very challenging century. And thank you so much for the confidence that you put in all of us for asking us to help you. Thank you. MADELEINE ALBRIGHT (Chair of the Group of Experts) : Thank you very much, Mister Secretary General. And it has indeed been my honor to have chaired this remarkable group of experts to report with you and the terrific staff at NATO. I think this has been one of the most interesting tasks that I have been given. I grew up with NATO. It is to me a very important alliance. And I'm delighted to have had the opportunity to participate in providing some of the building blocks for your strategic concept that will indeed make clear that this is a 21st century alliance. I think that we took in some ways the concept that, in fact, the alliance in the 21st century has to be agile and flexible in a time of unpredictability. And that it was very important to do two things is to truly reassure the members of NATO that article 5 remains a core aspect of the Alliance and that at the same time that we are prepared in order to promote the security of the Alliance to be willing to take on challenges abroad. So the title... excuse me... of Short Security and Dynamic Engagement does in fact reiterate the importance of article 5 and the dynamic engagement emphasizes that we need to deepen our partnerships and work cooperatively to prevent the challenges that emanate from beyond the North Atlantic region from actually reaching our shores. I think that it's very clear that an Alliance in the 21st century needed to have some adjustments because the threats are so totally different. I call this a little bit a renewal of our vows that NATO cannot let the 21st dangers divide leaders and weaken our collective resolve. That it is important that at this stage we understand who we are and how we're going to operate. I think that what is new in this report is that the report is the first opportunity to reflect on what NATO has done since the last strategic concept in 1999. The Alliance is obviously larger and has to respond from threats around the world. And therefore I think this new concept of partnership is something that needs to be focussed on much more. We call for enhanced partnerships for many nations and other international organizations and non-governmental entities. We also call for enhanced political consultations and crisis management mechanisms. And we are looking at ways how to deal with new threats from non-State actors. We have also made some proposals as the Secretary General has mentioned on how to make progress with Russia. And we have stressed the need to improve NATO's efficiency and effectiveness. I think that we have understood throughout this process something that the Secretary General emphasized which is the importance of transparency and public support. We are an Alliance of democracies which is the basis of the Alliance itself, which obviously means that our publics need to understand what this is all about in the 21st century. So I think that we have in fact pointed out that we need to reaffirm our... a cooperative view of Atlantic security order and that we need to reach out to the partners in order to deal with the unpredictability in the 21st century. And I think now we're happy to answer questions. But Mister Secretary General, let me end by saying that I thank you tremendously for your support and friendship in this. You now have the difficult job of taking these various building blocks and consulting further and providing the Alliance with the leadership that it needs in this very challenging century. And thank you so much for the confidence that you put in all of us for asking us to help you. Thank you. Link was copied to clipboard
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