From Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO:  We cannot tell how long this economic turmoil will last. But its consequences will be with us for a long time to come. And in good times and bad, NATO has been the best investment Allies have made. For over sixty years, it has successfully delivered security and stability. That’s why we need to continue investing in it – militarily, politically, and financially. So that, by the end of this decade and into the next, we emerge stronger as an Alliance, not weaker.

And the key is smart defence. Smart defence is about prioritization, specialization and cooperation. We all know that it will be increasingly difficult for individual allies to acquire expensive military equipment on their own. By by pooling and sharing resources, by multinational cooperation and by helping each other, they can better afford investments in the necessary military capabilities.

At our summit in Chicago, I expect all Allies to commit to long-term goals for the capabilities we need and for reinforcing the connection between our forces. And I expect them to back up that vision with concrete projects. So that, in a fast-changing world, we can do better with what we have. And stay lean, but strong.

That is our Chicago challenge: to lay the foundation of the NATO of the future – towards 2020 and beyond.

Excerpt from press conference by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen  at the ACT Seminar.  (photo: Getty)

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