Secretary General: cooperation with industry is essential for NATO’s deterrence and defence

  • 14 Nov. 2019 -
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  • Last updated: 14 Nov. 2019 15:55

Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg underlined the importance of NATO’s cooperation with industry in a keynote speech at the NATO-Industry Forum in Washington, D.C. on Thursday (14 November 2019). Noting that Allies are industry’s largest customers, he set out three ways in which NATO plays a decisive role: in setting guidelines for how much Allies spend on defence, what they spend it on, and how this money is spent.

Mr. Stoltenberg welcomed that NATO has funded investments worth over five billion US dollars since 2016, including on facilities for prepositioned equipment, and satellite time for secure communications. He further welcomed Allies’ investments in cutting-edge surveillance aircraft, as well as strategic airlift. In closing, the Secretary General said: “a thriving defence industry is more important than ever” in order to maintain NATO’s strong deterrence and defence.

Read Secretary General's speech here.