Deputy Secretary General discusses NATO Summit and NATO 2030
NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană discussed the outcomes of the NATO Summit and the NATO 2030 agenda, addressing the Alliance’s future challenges and opportunities, including Russia, the rise of China, new technologies, and partnerships, in an online webinar with the International Centre for Development and Democratic Transition on Monday (12 July 2021).
At the NATO summit in June, Allies agreed on the NATO 2030 agenda, which the Deputy Secretary General said focuses on evolving topics, including resilience, the security implications of climate change, cyber defence, partnerships, and NATO-EU cooperation. NATO’s ability to adapt to security issues is one of the reasons that make NATO the most successful alliance in history, Mr Geoană said, adding that NATO 2030 will help NATO further adapt to a fundamentally changing international environment.
Included in these challenges are Emerging and Disruptive Technologies (EDTs) and cyber space, which the Deputy Secretary General said need global attention, stressing the need to establish a predictable international set of norms for them. The Alliance is the first to address an Artificial Intelligence strategy, he said. While NATO does not make laws, it is “setting best standards of behavior”, he explained, underlining the importance of ethical principles in the use of AI and other technologies.
Looking ahead, the NATO Summit also sets in train the revision of the Alliance’s Strategic Concept, which will be renewed and agreed on by Allies at the NATO Summit 2022 in Madrid.