WEBVTT 00:04.119 --> 00:06.369 (applause) 00:09.977 --> 00:11.755 - Thank you so much, Kay, and thank you for those 00:11.755 --> 00:14.713 nice words, and thank you for introducing me. 00:14.730 --> 00:19.113 It's really a great pleasure and honor to be here today. 00:19.660 --> 00:22.440 I have visited the United States many times 00:22.440 --> 00:25.720 as secretary general of NATO, but this is my first 00:25.780 --> 00:28.300 visit to Texas as secretary general of NATO. 00:28.300 --> 00:30.453 I think that was about time to come here, 00:31.650 --> 00:34.180 not least because I'm able to go ahead together 00:34.180 --> 00:37.993 with Ambassador Kay Bailey Hutchinson, 00:39.003 --> 00:41.513 who is really a strong supporter of NATO, 00:41.810 --> 00:46.150 and I really appreciate working together with her 00:47.514 --> 00:52.514 in NATO, and she said many nice words about me. 00:52.870 --> 00:55.210 But you have to know that I appreciate very much 00:55.210 --> 00:59.500 to working with her because she brings a wealth 00:59.500 --> 01:03.620 of wisdom and experience from Texas, but also from 01:04.450 --> 01:09.450 the US Senate and her knowledge, and her wisdom, 01:09.680 --> 01:12.760 and her political experience is of great importance 01:12.760 --> 01:16.163 for the alliance because we need US leadership. 01:17.700 --> 01:22.430 She is showing that leadership by her 01:22.430 --> 01:24.070 excellent work in Brussels. 01:24.070 --> 01:26.170 So it's good to be with you here in Texas. 01:26.980 --> 01:31.980 Then it's great to be here today for actually 01:32.082 --> 01:33.663 several reasons. 01:33.990 --> 01:38.200 One reason is that I very much like academic institutions 01:38.330 --> 01:41.460 because many, many years ago I decided to not become 01:41.460 --> 01:42.563 a politician. 01:43.060 --> 01:46.590 I decided to pursue an academic career 01:47.370 --> 01:49.730 after I finished my exams in economics at 01:49.990 --> 01:51.000 the University of Oslow. 01:51.000 --> 01:54.447 I started to work at the University of Oslow 01:54.447 --> 01:57.920 and in the Central Bureau of Statistics in Norway 01:58.510 --> 02:00.500 because my plan was to become a professor 02:00.500 --> 02:03.543 in mathematics or econometrics. 02:04.420 --> 02:06.870 And I started out, and then I was asked to become 02:07.170 --> 02:10.500 a deputy minister, or state secretary in the 02:10.500 --> 02:13.313 Ministry of Environment back in 1990. 02:13.810 --> 02:16.690 And I promised myself and my wife to do that 02:16.690 --> 02:20.440 for maximum a couple of years, and then go back 02:20.440 --> 02:23.673 to the academic life and become a professor. 02:24.370 --> 02:28.544 Now, no, I feel, because I've been in politics for almost 02:28.544 --> 02:31.683 30 years, and I'm afraid that the academic career, 02:31.683 --> 02:35.733 it's very hard to go back and to start again, 02:36.529 --> 02:38.523 to do especially econometrics. 02:39.020 --> 02:40.862 Partly because I've forgotten everything, 02:40.862 --> 02:41.960 (laughter) 02:41.960 --> 02:46.353 and even if I was able to relearn that, 02:46.800 --> 02:49.350 I think there's no way I'm able to compete with people 02:49.350 --> 02:52.733 who are 19, or 20, or 21 years old. 02:53.160 --> 02:54.013 I will lose. 02:54.478 --> 02:57.023 So I know my limitations. 02:57.570 --> 03:01.552 So I think that econometrics (chuckles) 03:01.552 --> 03:03.323 that's a lost career. 03:04.275 --> 03:07.493 But instead of becoming an academic myself, 03:07.940 --> 03:10.870 I really like visiting academic institutions, 03:10.870 --> 03:13.883 and therefore, I appreciate really to be here, 03:14.090 --> 03:18.443 to sense the atmosphere, 03:19.595 --> 03:21.780 to know that at SMU 03:22.150 --> 03:25.390 it's really a center of academic excellence 03:25.640 --> 03:27.203 for more than 100 years. 03:27.580 --> 03:31.130 And the scientific work, and the teaching which is 03:31.130 --> 03:35.340 taking place here is something which is highly recognized 03:35.340 --> 03:40.340 and therefore it is a special pleasure for me to visit SMU. 03:44.490 --> 03:48.910 Also knowing that this university had as students 03:50.290 --> 03:53.703 senators, congressmen, and even a first lady. 03:53.860 --> 03:57.773 They have walked the quadrangle, I think it is, 03:58.430 --> 04:01.680 and therefore this is an academic institution 04:01.680 --> 04:03.963 with a lot of proud history. 04:05.380 --> 04:07.270 So that's the second reason why I think it's great 04:07.270 --> 04:09.023 to be here in Texas, and at SMU. 04:10.270 --> 04:12.730 The third reason is, of course, that it provides me 04:12.730 --> 04:15.690 an opportunity to share with you some thoughts 04:16.010 --> 04:21.010 and some reflections on the challenges NATO is facing 04:21.540 --> 04:24.710 and how we are responding to them, and that is important 04:24.710 --> 04:27.390 for Europe, but it's also of great importance 04:27.390 --> 04:30.143 for North American and United States. 04:30.550 --> 04:34.863 NATO is the most successful military alliance in history. 04:35.520 --> 04:38.720 And the main reason why NATO is the most successful 04:38.720 --> 04:41.990 alliance in history is that we have been able 04:41.990 --> 04:44.673 to change, to adapt, when the world is changing. 04:45.170 --> 04:49.140 And as many of you already know, NATO was established on 04:49.140 --> 04:54.140 the fourth of April 1949, so almost exactly 69 years ago. 04:56.990 --> 05:01.990 For 40 years, from 1949 to 1989, we did only actually 05:04.310 --> 05:09.310 one thing, and that was to deliver credible deterrence 05:10.230 --> 05:11.480 against the Soviet Union. 05:12.790 --> 05:17.040 It was all about how to make sure that the Soviet Union 05:17.040 --> 05:19.263 didn't attack any NATO-allied country. 05:20.050 --> 05:21.580 And we did that quite successfully 05:21.580 --> 05:24.220 based on the core principle of NATO 05:25.790 --> 05:28.133 which is one for all, and all for one. 05:28.640 --> 05:32.190 So if one NATO ally is attacked, then it will trigger 05:32.270 --> 05:33.940 a response from the whole alliance, 05:33.940 --> 05:38.483 from then in was 12 members, today it's 29 members. 05:39.200 --> 05:42.833 And by having this one for all, all for one principle, 05:43.690 --> 05:48.580 we have been able to prevent any attack 05:48.580 --> 05:49.903 against any NATO ally. 05:50.580 --> 05:53.060 And that's extremely important for all of us, 05:53.060 --> 05:54.940 but especially for small NATO allies, 05:54.940 --> 05:57.943 as for instance, Norway, where I'm coming from. 05:58.360 --> 06:00.780 It was of great importance to know that when 06:00.780 --> 06:04.490 Norway's sharing a border with Russia, 06:04.490 --> 06:07.650 and previously with Soviet Union, five million people 06:08.400 --> 06:11.633 close to bigger nation, the Soviet Union, 06:11.890 --> 06:14.940 and Russia later on, that we felt safe 06:15.460 --> 06:17.993 because we knew that if Norway was attacked, 06:18.060 --> 06:21.310 NATO allies, the United States, they will come 06:21.352 --> 06:22.513 to our support. 06:23.170 --> 06:26.960 And as long as any potential adversary is certain 06:26.960 --> 06:30.393 that we will defend each other, they will not attack. 06:30.920 --> 06:32.980 So the best way to prevent conflict 06:32.980 --> 06:34.633 is to have credible deterrents. 06:36.200 --> 06:39.173 And that's exactly what NATO did for 40 years. 06:40.170 --> 06:42.563 '49 to '89. 06:42.580 --> 06:45.370 Then in '89 the Berlin Wall came down, 06:45.370 --> 06:49.973 and the Cold War ended, and the Soviet Union, 06:50.290 --> 06:54.593 and the Warsaw Pact were dissolved. 06:55.210 --> 06:58.563 And then people started to ask do we need NATO anymore? 06:59.140 --> 07:01.480 Because the main reason why NATO was established 07:01.480 --> 07:02.693 didn't exist anymore. 07:02.960 --> 07:06.950 And it was some commentators said that NATO either 07:06.950 --> 07:11.950 has to go out of area, meaning go out of NATO territory 07:12.560 --> 07:16.363 in Europe, or out of business. 07:16.740 --> 07:20.023 And then NATO decided not to go out of business, 07:20.200 --> 07:23.540 but instead go out of area, and for the first time 07:23.540 --> 07:28.240 in our history we went beyond NATO borders. 07:28.240 --> 07:32.900 We helped to end two wars in the Balkans in the 1990's 07:32.900 --> 07:36.193 in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and in Serbia, Kosovo. 07:36.750 --> 07:41.480 And later on, we launched our biggest military operation 07:41.480 --> 07:46.230 ever in Afghanistan as a response to a terrorist attack 07:46.230 --> 07:47.883 on the United States, 9/11. 07:48.300 --> 07:53.300 And as Kay just said, that is the first and only time 07:54.650 --> 07:57.683 we have invoked what we call Article Five, 07:58.410 --> 08:02.080 which is the collective defense clause of our founding 08:02.080 --> 08:04.670 treaty, the Washington Treaty, which says that 08:04.670 --> 08:07.140 an attack on one ally shall be considered 08:07.350 --> 08:08.893 an attack on all allies. 08:09.290 --> 08:12.670 So then for the first 40 years where we successfully 08:12.670 --> 08:15.590 deterred the Soviet Union and we were able to end 08:15.590 --> 08:19.790 the Cold War without firing a shot, but without moving 08:19.790 --> 08:20.730 beyond our borders. 08:20.730 --> 08:25.670 Then 25 years from '89 to 2014, we did what we called 08:25.670 --> 08:28.630 crisis management beyond our borders in the Balkans, 08:28.630 --> 08:31.873 in Afghanistan, fighting pirates off the Horn of Africa. 08:31.920 --> 08:36.853 So we did crisis management beyond NATO borders. 08:37.550 --> 08:41.733 Then 2014 is a new pivotal year in the history of NATO. 08:42.120 --> 08:45.193 Because in 2014 two things happened at the same time. 08:45.650 --> 08:49.363 Partly we saw a even more assertive Russia. 08:50.150 --> 08:52.523 We saw the illegal annexation of Crimea 08:53.120 --> 08:57.650 which is the first time since the Second World War 08:58.162 --> 09:02.810 when borders are changed in Europe by the use of force, 09:02.810 --> 09:07.120 one country, Russia, taking a part 09:07.120 --> 09:09.713 of another country, Ukraine by annexing Crimea. 09:10.210 --> 09:11.773 So that was extremely serious. 09:12.110 --> 09:16.370 Second, it continued to destabilize Eastern Ukraine 09:16.980 --> 09:21.500 and we saw over a long period of time a Russia 09:21.500 --> 09:24.000 which heavily invested in more military equipment, 09:24.190 --> 09:26.753 modernized their armed forces, 09:28.800 --> 09:32.583 also invested heavily in nuclear systems, 09:33.430 --> 09:36.610 and then 2014 was this year they really started to use 09:36.610 --> 09:39.023 military force against a neighbor. 09:40.290 --> 09:43.680 Then in the same year, 2014, something a bit different 09:43.680 --> 09:47.493 happened, and that was the rise of Daesh, or ISIL. 09:49.350 --> 09:52.140 I remember when I was asked to become secretary general 09:52.140 --> 09:55.063 of NATO in January 2014, the first time, 09:56.000 --> 09:59.827 then hardly anyone had heard about ISIL, or Daesh. 10:00.810 --> 10:04.080 Some months later, Daesh controlled territory 10:04.440 --> 10:07.230 close to NATO borders in Iraq and Syria 10:07.750 --> 10:09.283 as big as the United Kingdom, 10:09.500 --> 10:11.533 and almost eight million people. 10:12.710 --> 10:14.110 So that was really a threat. 10:15.060 --> 10:18.910 And NATO proved again that we are able to adapt, 10:18.910 --> 10:23.910 able to respond, and we responded by implementing 10:24.370 --> 10:26.740 the biggest reinforcement of collective defense 10:26.740 --> 10:28.030 since the end of the Cold War, 10:28.030 --> 10:31.053 and by stepping up our efforts to fight terrorism. 10:31.430 --> 10:33.660 So I'm actually quite impressed by the fact 10:33.660 --> 10:38.573 that NATO has proven again and again able to change, 10:38.700 --> 10:43.543 respond, when the world is changing. 10:44.080 --> 10:47.033 And I would just briefly, and then I will be available 10:47.100 --> 10:52.100 for questions, describe how we have done, 10:52.950 --> 10:56.270 once again, changed or adapted in the light 10:56.270 --> 10:58.683 of what happened in 2014 and after. 11:00.080 --> 11:02.930 First, the biggest reinforcement, our collective defense. 11:03.330 --> 11:05.610 We have for the first time in our history, 11:05.610 --> 11:08.890 deployed combat-ready troops in the eastern part 11:08.890 --> 11:09.763 of the alliance. 11:10.120 --> 11:11.340 We call them battle groups. 11:11.340 --> 11:14.523 One is led by United States in Poland, 11:14.730 --> 11:18.050 then the United Kingdom, Canada, and Germany, 11:18.050 --> 11:19.723 they lead other battle groups. 11:19.820 --> 11:22.300 But together this is the strongest military presence 11:22.300 --> 11:25.273 NATO has ever had in the eastern part of the alliance. 11:25.920 --> 11:28.680 The battle groups are not very big, it's around 1,000 11:29.020 --> 11:31.050 in each, but the important thing 11:31.050 --> 11:32.650 is that they are multi-national. 11:33.000 --> 11:36.480 So there are NATO troops already in the Baltic countries 11:36.760 --> 11:40.320 sending extremely clear and strong message 11:40.550 --> 11:43.910 that if anything similar to what happened in Ukraine 11:44.320 --> 11:46.490 happens against any of the Baltic countries, 11:46.490 --> 11:48.790 NATO will be there and responding immediately. 11:49.430 --> 11:52.890 So there's no way that can happen without triggering 11:52.890 --> 11:54.510 the response from the whole alliance. 11:54.510 --> 11:57.700 That provides deterrence, and that's extremely important 11:57.700 --> 12:00.953 for especially the Baltic countries, and Poland. 12:02.160 --> 12:04.900 Second, we have increased the readiness of our forces, 12:04.900 --> 12:06.720 so we have triple the size of what we call 12:06.720 --> 12:09.980 the NATO Response Force which is a force 12:10.160 --> 12:12.830 around 40,000 troops which as available 12:12.830 --> 12:15.563 and we can deploy them with short notice. 12:16.390 --> 12:19.700 And thirdly, we have seen for the first time 12:19.700 --> 12:23.940 in many, many years that defense spending 12:23.950 --> 12:27.726 is again increasing, especially the United States 12:27.726 --> 12:30.130 has always spent a lot on defense. 12:30.130 --> 12:32.860 It has been a bit up and down, but three, 4%, 12:32.860 --> 12:36.683 more than that, actually, always. 12:37.490 --> 12:41.580 But since the end of the Cold War during the 1990's 12:41.870 --> 12:46.870 and up til 2014, we have seen a quite steady decline 12:46.980 --> 12:49.573 in defense spending across Europe and Canada. 12:50.410 --> 12:54.290 Then in 2014, NATO allies decided, as a response 12:54.290 --> 12:57.233 to what we saw with Russia in Ukraine, Crimea, 12:57.397 --> 12:59.623 and the rise of Daesh in Iraq, Syria, 12:59.860 --> 13:01.593 that we needed to invest more. 13:02.300 --> 13:04.763 And we decided to stop the cuts, 13:05.630 --> 13:08.270 gradually increase, and then move towards spending 13:08.270 --> 13:11.903 2% of GDP on defense within a decade. 13:13.010 --> 13:16.090 We decided back in 2014, and the first year 13:16.090 --> 13:20.590 after our decision, 2015 was the first year we had 13:21.150 --> 13:23.720 increase in defense spending across Europe and Canada 13:23.720 --> 13:24.853 for many, many years. 13:25.520 --> 13:28.920 And now we have had three consecutive years 13:29.521 --> 13:34.510 of rising defense expenditures 13:35.680 --> 13:38.663 among European allied countries and Canada. 13:38.880 --> 13:41.080 That is extremely important because it shows 13:41.867 --> 13:43.690 that we are willing to invest more in our security 13:43.690 --> 13:45.740 when the world requires that. 13:46.066 --> 13:49.600 Second, it is also a message to the United States 13:49.930 --> 13:53.140 that European allies are stepping up, and we take it 13:53.140 --> 13:55.840 seriously that we need a more balanced burden sharing. 13:56.060 --> 13:58.200 We still have a long way to go, but at least 13:58.200 --> 14:00.770 European allies and Canada has turned a corner 14:01.450 --> 14:04.950 showing that they will carry their part of the burden 14:05.170 --> 14:08.513 and are investing more in defense. 14:10.920 --> 14:14.020 The other element of our adaptation is that we have 14:15.200 --> 14:17.973 decided to do more in the fight against terrorism. 14:18.440 --> 14:21.330 All NATO allies are member of what we call the 14:21.740 --> 14:25.323 US-led Global Coalition to defeat ISIS. 14:25.730 --> 14:27.720 It has achieved a lot already. 14:27.720 --> 14:32.720 Almost all the territory controlled by Daesh, or ISIL, 14:32.760 --> 14:35.253 in Iraq and Syria has been retaken, 14:37.340 --> 14:42.340 and all allies have participated, but just to mention, 14:42.500 --> 14:44.200 Turkey has been key in that fight. 14:44.700 --> 14:48.973 Because sometimes it's easy to forget that Iraq and Syria, 14:49.501 --> 14:52.530 Daesh is actually at the border of NATO, 14:52.530 --> 14:54.743 because Turkey is a NATO country. 14:55.610 --> 14:59.210 And we know that this not only threat again neighbors, 14:59.210 --> 15:02.270 like Turkey, but is a threat against all of us 15:02.270 --> 15:05.890 because we have seen terrorist attacks in the United States, 15:05.890 --> 15:09.463 in Europe, organized or inspired by Daesh, 15:09.670 --> 15:12.680 their so-called caliphate they tried to establish 15:13.030 --> 15:15.503 in Iraq and Syria. 15:15.800 --> 15:18.170 So this is not only about protecting the neighbors 15:18.170 --> 15:23.170 of Iraq and Syria, but also protecting all our countries. 15:26.800 --> 15:29.260 So Turkey has been key because they have provided 15:29.260 --> 15:32.833 infrastructure, air bases, in the fight against Daesh. 15:33.970 --> 15:35.980 I think that the lesson we have learned 15:36.420 --> 15:41.337 being very different in Iraq and Afghanistan, Libya, 15:43.520 --> 15:47.700 other places, is that NATO and NATO-allied countries 15:47.700 --> 15:51.580 have to be ready to deploy large number of combat troops 15:51.580 --> 15:53.970 in big combat operations as you, for instance, 15:53.970 --> 15:56.273 did in Afghanistan after 9/11, 15:56.510 --> 15:58.110 the attack on the United States. 15:58.460 --> 16:01.610 But in the long run it is better to train local forces 16:01.610 --> 16:04.113 to enable them to stabilize their own country. 16:04.640 --> 16:07.240 And that's exactly what we are doing in Afghanistan. 16:07.890 --> 16:11.320 We have trained the Afghans so they are now responsible 16:11.320 --> 16:13.220 for the security in their own country, 16:13.420 --> 16:16.020 and when the Taliban attacks, or when there are 16:16.020 --> 16:19.333 terrorist attacks in Khabul, or as well in Afghanistan, 16:19.570 --> 16:24.433 it is the Afghan special forces who goes out and respond. 16:24.510 --> 16:26.660 We help them, we support them, we train them, 16:26.660 --> 16:29.603 we advise them, but they are on the front line, 16:29.850 --> 16:32.280 and that is a great achievement that we have been able 16:32.280 --> 16:34.780 to train and build local Afghan forces 16:35.350 --> 16:37.283 capable of doing exactly that. 16:37.860 --> 16:39.923 We are aiming to do the same in Iraq, 16:40.140 --> 16:41.915 therefore, we are now in the process of planning 16:41.915 --> 16:45.363 to scale up and to establish a training mission, 16:45.940 --> 16:48.450 NATO training mission, to train the Iraqi forces 16:48.730 --> 16:50.653 to build the security institutions, 16:50.790 --> 16:54.170 again, based on the idea that prevention is better 16:54.310 --> 16:57.470 than intervention, and that in the long run, we are safer 16:57.470 --> 16:59.910 if they are able to stabilize their own countries. 16:59.910 --> 17:00.843 It's not easy. 17:01.240 --> 17:03.883 We need different approaches to different countries, 17:04.070 --> 17:06.490 but our efforts to fight terrorism is very much about 17:06.490 --> 17:08.763 building local capacity. 17:09.370 --> 17:14.370 Then, of course, we also have to address other threats 17:15.480 --> 17:18.430 like cyber threats, and the proliferation 17:18.430 --> 17:20.843 of nuclear weapons, North Korea. 17:22.260 --> 17:25.650 We frequently, when it comes to nuclear and ballistic 17:25.650 --> 17:28.460 missile threats, we respond in the same way 17:28.460 --> 17:31.300 as we have responded to ballistic and missile threats 17:31.300 --> 17:33.323 for decades, by deterrence. 17:33.660 --> 17:36.403 NATO, and again, United States is the biggest ally, 17:37.140 --> 17:39.340 we have the resolve, we have the capabilities 17:39.340 --> 17:44.340 to respond if attacked, and that has been the best way 17:45.470 --> 17:49.463 to prevent the Soviet Union, or Russia, to attack. 17:49.870 --> 17:52.720 And I think also it sends a clear message to North Korea. 17:52.910 --> 17:55.880 At the same time, we work for political solutions, 17:55.880 --> 17:59.190 so we support all efforts of try to find a political 17:59.190 --> 18:03.210 solution to the crisis caused by the development 18:03.210 --> 18:07.363 of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles in North Korea. 18:07.660 --> 18:10.580 And to be able to reach a political solution 18:11.170 --> 18:13.240 we need strong pressure on North Korea, 18:13.240 --> 18:17.490 therefore we strongly support the economic sanctions 18:17.490 --> 18:20.143 against North Korea. 18:22.380 --> 18:27.030 I will just share with you, so then one reflection 18:27.030 --> 18:29.593 and then I will end and open up for questions. 18:29.760 --> 18:33.380 And that is that one of the challenges we face today 18:33.980 --> 18:37.370 is that it is a much more blurred line between 18:37.810 --> 18:41.393 peace and war than we have seen before. 18:42.040 --> 18:45.143 In the old days, war was something a nation declared. 18:45.350 --> 18:48.970 The message went to the capitals and said we now declare 18:48.970 --> 18:50.963 war against your country. 18:51.490 --> 18:53.920 And it was easy to say exactly when the war started 18:53.920 --> 18:56.443 and when it was over, or ended. 18:57.460 --> 19:00.360 And in my country, Norway, we know exactly when 19:00.360 --> 19:01.810 the Second World War started. 19:01.820 --> 19:04.470 It started the ninth of April when we were attacked 19:04.470 --> 19:07.473 by German forces, and it ended the eighth of May. 19:08.130 --> 19:10.430 And that was clear date, and they knew exactly 19:10.430 --> 19:12.250 which countries that were neutral, 19:12.250 --> 19:15.053 and which were part of the Second World War. 19:15.480 --> 19:18.693 Norway, Denmar, we were part of the Second World War, 19:18.900 --> 19:20.063 Sweden was not. 19:21.230 --> 19:23.620 When it comes to today, we see threats which are 19:23.620 --> 19:24.713 extremely different. 19:25.360 --> 19:27.900 For instance, the fight against Daesh and ISIL, 19:29.337 --> 19:31.463 it's very hard to say when it started. 19:32.960 --> 19:35.650 It's very hard to say exactly where it takes place. 19:35.650 --> 19:38.150 We know that it has taken place in Iraq and Syria, 19:38.850 --> 19:40.900 but it has also taken place in our own streets, 19:40.900 --> 19:41.993 in our own capitals. 19:42.770 --> 19:44.990 And there are different groups claiming to be part 19:44.990 --> 19:48.443 of ISIL, don't know exactly how close the connections are, 19:48.692 --> 19:51.480 But we know the several terrorist attacks which are 19:51.480 --> 19:53.003 more or less linked to Daesh. 19:54.240 --> 19:57.030 So the war takes place also, in that sense, 19:57.030 --> 19:58.063 in our own streets. 19:59.570 --> 20:03.620 Then, of course, Iraq and Syria, but we have Daesh 20:03.620 --> 20:06.063 in Afghanistan, in North Africa, in Asia. 20:07.316 --> 20:10.463 And we have Daesh operating in cyberspace. 20:11.450 --> 20:14.360 And I think it's very hard to tell when the fight 20:14.360 --> 20:15.713 against Daesh is over. 20:16.660 --> 20:21.660 So classical, old kinds of war, they were well-defined 20:23.450 --> 20:24.943 in time and space. 20:25.290 --> 20:29.463 Today war it's hard to define when and where. 20:30.330 --> 20:32.840 And we have a blurred line because there are 20:33.000 --> 20:36.070 what we call hybrid tactics which is a mixture 20:36.070 --> 20:38.733 of military and non-military means of aggression, 20:38.800 --> 20:42.973 covert and overt operations, cyber interventions. 20:43.810 --> 20:48.810 We saw Seoul's produce of a chemical nerve agent, and so on. 20:50.230 --> 20:54.480 This is a great challenge for NATO because we have to 20:54.480 --> 20:57.230 be strong, we have to respond, but we have to respond 20:57.230 --> 20:59.980 in a measured way, and sometime attribution is extremely 20:59.980 --> 21:02.713 difficult, especially when it comes to cyber attacks. 21:03.370 --> 21:05.390 So that's also the reason why we are modernized 21:05.390 --> 21:07.330 in the alliance, not only by strengthening our 21:07.330 --> 21:11.593 conventional forces, but also by more intelligence, 21:12.290 --> 21:15.403 better situational awareness, high readiness, 21:15.660 --> 21:20.050 and for instance investing more both in cyber defense, 21:20.050 --> 21:24.340 but also in our capabilities to deal with chemical weapons 21:24.710 --> 21:29.403 and other types of weapons of mass destruction. 21:32.690 --> 21:35.780 I will just end by saying that I'm optimistic 21:35.780 --> 21:40.780 on behalf of NATO because NATO is strong because 21:41.976 --> 21:45.423 we have proven able to adapt. 21:45.660 --> 21:49.700 And the impressive thing is that despite of the consensus 21:49.700 --> 21:52.600 we need, because as Kay said, that's sometimes 21:52.720 --> 21:55.563 quite demanding to reach consensus 29 allies. 21:55.910 --> 21:58.493 We have been able to take decisions. 21:58.720 --> 22:01.200 And for instance, we're able to invoke Article Five 22:01.200 --> 22:04.053 just hours after the attack on the United States. 22:04.370 --> 22:09.260 We were able to take over the responsibility 22:09.260 --> 22:13.683 for the air operations in Libya within days, 22:13.990 --> 22:17.290 and we have high readiness forces, so we can take decisions 22:19.430 --> 22:21.743 fast, quickly, if needed. 22:22.490 --> 22:26.240 But I strongly believe that the fact that NATO's 22:26.240 --> 22:29.004 proven able to change, and the fact that we have been 22:29.004 --> 22:32.750 able to stand united for almost 70 years 22:33.020 --> 22:36.720 provides the best basis for that NATO will continue 22:36.720 --> 22:39.020 to be the most successful alliance in history, 22:39.170 --> 22:41.443 good for Europe, and good for North America, 22:41.680 --> 22:43.023 and the United States. 22:43.070 --> 22:43.970 Thank you so much. 22:44.342 --> 22:45.213 (applause)