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| Updated: 10 September 1999 | Speeches |
NATO Defense College Rome, |
Speechby the Secretary GeneralMinister Scognamiglio, Let me first use this opportunity to convey my heartfelt thanks to the host of the NATO Defense College -- ltaly. Since the College came to Rome 33 years ago, Italy has been a generous and committed host. The new premises, which have been funded by the Italian Ministry of Defence, reflect both Italy's generosity and its determination to continue this unique commitment. Of course, Italy's firm commitment to this Alliance goes far beyond this College. It has been proven most dramatically in "Allied Force". As the nerve centre of our operations in Kosovo, Italy was faced with many burdens and many tough choices. Yet Italy did not waver. We all shared the same goal of averting a humanitarian tragedy, and of giving Kosovo a better future. We all stood together -- and we prevailed. Today, as "Allied Force" is behind us, and the international community has begun to restore normal life in Kosovo, we can see that our perseverance has paid off. I want to thank Italy for that and for its commitment to KFOR. Let me now turn to the main purpose of this event, the inauguration of the new NATO Defense College. It is an honour and a pleasure to inaugurate this new College. This College has been a source of excellence for almost as long as the Alliance has existed. Since its inception in 1951, the NATO Defense College has provided the Alliance with a steady stream of first-rate officers. Like the Alliance itself, the College has adapted to meet the new challenges of the Euro-Atlantic security environment. It has relentlessly promoted the exploration of new approaches to the challenges of today and tomorrow. Over the last decade, the NATO Defense College has also become a flagship of NATO's cooperation and outreach policy -- it hosts PfP and OSCE participants, and it is a playing a leading role in the Mediterranean Dialogue. Today, the College enters a new era - with a new building, but also with a new spirit. And once again, the evolution of the College reflects the evolution of our Alliance. At the dawn of a new century, with a new Strategic Concept setting the stage, and with the challenging Kosovo campaign behind us, the Alliance is set to play a key role in the security of tomorrow - with new missions, new members, and new Partners. In order to cope with the challenges of the next century, NATO's agenda has greatly expanded to include Partnership for Peace, the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, the Mediterranean Dialogue, enlargement, NATO-Ukraine relations and non-proliferation. We have developed a new relationship with Russia. We are preparing for a stronger European role in the Alliance - to create a more equitable, more mature transatlantic link. And we have embarked on the daunting challenge of crisis management in the Balkans. Each of these initiatives is a tangible contribution to a safer and more stable Europe in the 21st century. Monsieur le Ministre, Excellence, nous ne pourrons faire face à
l'ampleur et à la diversité de ces défis que lorsque
nous aurons adopté, en matière de sécurité,
un concept général qui ne se limitera pas aux questions
militaires mais inclura également les éléments politiques,
économiques et sociaux. Seule une approche élargie de ce
type nous permettra d'aller au-delà du simple traitement des symptômes.
C'est pourquoi l'OTAN s'est toujours efforcée de travailler avec
d'autres institutions, afin de disposer de la plus large gamme d'instruments. Ainsi, nos militaires - hommes et femmes - devront répondre à des exigences inédites dans ce nouvel environnement de sécurité. Plus que jamais, ils devront avoir le don de l'improvisation, la capacité de communiquer en plusieurs langues, et celle de s'adapter à des situations d'une grande fluidité. Plus que jamais enfin, ils devront être préparés à une coopération avec les soldats de nombreux pays, alliés et partenaires. En résumé, les défis du siècle prochain n'exigeront pas seulement une interopérabilité militaire et technique. Nous aurons également besoin d'une "interopérabilité humaine", avec des officiers raisonnant de la même manière, partageant les mêmes idées et capables, face à de nouveaux problèmes, d'inventer de nouvelles approches. Une nouvelle génération d'officiers comme celle-ci ne surgit pas du néant. Elle doit être créée par une formation qui réponde pleinement aux exigences d'aujourd'hui, et qui exploite toutes les possibilités des techniques modernes d'enseignement et de communication. Le nouveau Collège de défense de l'OTAN est déterminé à se montrer à la hauteur de ce défi. Les nouveaux locaux spécialement construits permettent au Collège d'être encore mieux adaptés aux exigences actuelles et futures. Il est donc certain que le nouveau Collège deviendra une composante encore mieux établie et respectée de la communauté stratégique internationale. Autrement dit, le nouveau Collège deviendra un élément indispensable de la nouvelle OTAN. Le Collège de défense de l'OTAN ne s'est pas borné à dispenser un enseignement. Il a forgé des amitiés durables entre officiers de l'ensemble de la zone euro-atlantique. Là se trouve donc un autre aspect de notre travail, que nous ne devons jamais sous-estimer : le développement des liens personnels. Au cours de son histoire, le Collège a vu défiler plus de 5000 officiers. Nombre d'entre eux occupent aujourd'hui des postes importants, au sein de l'Alliance ou dans leur propre pays. Et nombre d'entre eux reviennent ici souvent - pour transmettre leur expérience à la génération suivante, et pour raviver d'anciennes amitiés. C'est là une réussite impressionnante, qui met en lumière le rôle du Collège en tant que médiateur d'idées, d'approches et de valeurs communes.
As we move into the next millennium, NATO stands as a dynamic, thriving institution, one which is playing an ever-greater role in preserving and building peace in the Euro-Atlantic area. The NATO Defense College is a key part of this dynamism. It is a key part of our agenda to meet the challenges ahead. With these new premises that we inaugurate today, the new College will continue to be at the forefront of higher security and defence education - a new College for a new era. Thank You. The Secretary General thanked Italy for its generosity in funding the new premises of the NATO Defense College. He also applauded Italy for its steadfastness in the Kosovo crisis, which has contributed significantly to the Alliance's ongoing efforts to bring lasting peace and security to the Balkans. The Secretary General went on to highlight the parallel development of NATO and the College in adapting to new challenges and requirements. He emphasised the role of the College as a source of excellence, and it role as a flagship of NATO's cooperation and outreach policy. The Secretary General highlighted the key changes NATO has undergone in the 1990s, such as enlargement, Partnership for Peace, NATO-Russia relations, and many others. These changes had enabled NATO to prepare itself for a new century. However, new challenges were waiting ahead, such as globalisation, the spread of weapons of mass destruction, or regional conflicts. These challenges will set entirely new demands for our military. Accordingly, a new generation of officers was needed, geared to working even more intensively in a multi-national environment. The Secretary General stressed the aspect of "human interoperability", which he considered to be crucial for developing new responses to new challenges. He added that the new NATO Defense College, with its new premises and its new curriculum, was ideally prepared to produce this new generation of officers. The Secretary General closed his remarks by pointing to the many personal ties of friendship which the College had facilitated over the years. He stated that the NATO Defense College would remain a key part of a dynamic Alliance -- an Alliance which was unique not only because of its common military assets, but also because of its common mind-frame in addressing security challenges.
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