Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, along with US President Joe Biden and all other Allied Heads of State and Government, commemorated NATO’s 75th anniversary in Washington, D.C., on July 9, 2024.
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stressed in a speech at the Mellon Auditorium, the site of the 1949 signing of the North Atlantic Treaty, that NATO is “not only the most successful and strongest, but also the longest-lasting alliance in history.”
The Secretary General noted that NATO’s enduring success has never been a given; rather, it is “the consequence of deliberate choices and difficult decisions” – from NATO’s establishment to arms control negotiations and from NATO’s enlargement at the conclusion of the Cold War to NATO’s current support for Ukraine.
The Secretary General issued a warning, saying that “there are no cost-free options with an aggressive Russia as a neighbor; there are no risk-free options in a war.” He also stated that the greatest risk and cost would be if Russia were to win in Ukraine, as this would embolden not only President Putin but also other authoritarian leaders in Iran, North Korea, and China. “The moment to advocate for democracy and freedom is now; the location is Ukraine,” he declared.
Stoltenberg concluded by stating that the Alliance will face challenging inquiries in the future, but that “we are safer and more resilient as a collective in NATO.”
The Secretary General and US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, gathered earlier in the day. The summit’s decisions to “strengthen our alliance for the future” were the subject of discussion. These decisions included support for Ukraine, deterrence, and defense, as well as strengthening NATO’s partnership in the Indo-Pacific.
In recognition of his decade of leadership at the Alliance’s helm, President Biden awarded Mr. Stoltenberg the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States’ most prestigious civilian honor, at the end of the event.
The Secretary General attended the US Chamber of Commerce-organized NATO Summit Defense Industry Forum. He discussed NATO’s new defense industry pledge with industry representatives, Allied defense ministers, and others to increase transatlantic industrial cooperation. He expressed his satisfaction with the recent signing of a new multinational contract for Stinger missiles by the NATO procurement agency, NSPA, estimated to be worth nearly 700 million dollars.
