Remarks

Lord Sedwill, dear Mark,
Admiral, Sir Ben.

Thank you for inviting me to address this sixth edition of the Atlantic Future Forum.

Conceived in the spirit of the original Atlantic Charter,
this Forum brings together the very best of government, military and industry from both sides of the Atlantic,
to address our most pressing security challenges.
And there are many.

There’s a hot war at the heart of Europe.
China, Iran and North Korea are propping up Putin’s war machine and getting much in return.
Conflict has again engulfed the Middle East.

There can no longer be any illusion that conflicts in faraway lands don’t affect us.
Our security is connected and increasingly challenged, 
by those who want to replace the global order with creeping chaos.
And who promote the rule of force over the rule of law.

We cannot and will not let this happen.
That is why NATO is stepping up in three key areas as we head towards our Summit in The Hague next year.
First, to make own defences even stronger.
The good news is that 23 NATO Allies are spending 2 percent of GDP on defence.
We now have more forces, resources and capabilities, and the most robust defence plans in decades.

The bad news is that 2 percent is no longer enough.
Countries that are close to meeting NATO’s new, demanding capability targets – like Poland – are spending more than 4%. 
So we will need to spend more and spend better.
To ramp up production and re-energise our defence industry following decades of scaling back.

Governments need to take a more strategic approach to future capabilities now.
And send clear, long-term demand signals to industry.
On this, I look forward to the outcome of the UK’s strategic defence review.
At the same time, industry needs to step up, innovate, adopt new technologies, and achieve economies of scale.

This matters for our security. It also matters for Ukraine’s.
This is the second key area of focus.
So far, our support has kept Ukraine in the fight.
We need to do much more to change the trajectory of the conflict. 
Yes, this comes at a cost. But it is only a fraction of our military budgets. 
And the implications of Russia winning go well beyond Ukraine.
So the question is, how can we afford not to?

And third, we are deepening our partnerships near and far.
From the EU to the Indo-Pacific, and across our Southern neighbourhood.
Because national security doesn’t start and end at our national borders.

Russia’s aggression is not contained to Ukraine.
China, Iran and North Korea’s destabilising actions have far-reaching implications.
When aggressors are emboldened it threatens us all.
No matter how large or small.

There is strength in numbers, and value in building on a strong foundation. Which is why we must continue to invest in NATO.
A transatlantic future is the only way to ensure our freedom and security.

So thanks for everything the UK does to keep our Alliance agile.
And thank you all for everything do to keep our defences strong and our people safe.