Opening remarks

President, Ministers, Excellencies, Generals, Admirals, Ladies and gentlemen,

It is really a great pleasure for me to be in Troia in Portugal today to see our troops exercise in Trident Juncture.

And with more than thirty-six thousand troops and more than one hundred and forty aircraft, sixty ships from over thirty nations Trident Juncture is the largest NATO exercise for over a decade.

And as I saw myself yesterday in Spain, this exercise is a tremendous demonstration of our capabilities, and of our ability to work together among Allies and also with partner nations and international organisations from around the world.

And I would like to thank Portugal for hosting this exercise, along with Italy and Spain.

This is a long-term planned exercise, with a fictitious scenario but the scenario’s implications are real.  With impact on maritime navigation and energy security and risks such as terrorism and cyber attacks and the need for high intensity warfare.

So this training is realistic and it is challenging.   Because our security environment has changed and is more challenging than at any time since the end of the Cold War.

And in an unpredictable world, NATO remains an anchor of stability. We stand strong to keep our nations safe, and to contribute to international stability.

NATO is also open and transparent in the way we exercise. We have invited observers from all OSCE countries and from around the world.

And I am therefore very glad to welcome them, and all of you, to today’s live exercise.

Thank you so much.