NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană discusses transatlantic ties at Ottawa Conference
Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană underscored the importance of the transatlantic bond in remarks to the CDA Institute’s Ottawa Conference on Security and Defence on Friday (12 March 2021).
Speaking on a virtual panel with Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and UK Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace, Mr. Geoană stressed that North America and Europe “need each other more than ever” to face the challenges of today, including cyber attacks, climate change, and great power competition.
Setting out the Secretary General’s vision for NATO 2030, Mr. Geoană explained that the Alliance must reinforce the unity between North America and Europe, broaden the security agenda to focus on topics including resilience and innovation, and work more closely with partners to protect the international rules-based order.
The Deputy Secretary General also praised Canada and the United Kingdom for their many contributions to NATO, including by leading multinational battlegroups in the eastern part of the Alliance, deploying ships and jets to keep Allies seas and airspace safe, and leading transformational change on cyber, innovation, and new technologies.