Joint press statement

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(As delivered)

Good afternoon General Gerhartz, dear Ingo. It's a pleasure to be here today, and thank you for hosting me here in Brunssum.

I also want to take the opportunity to congratulate you on your new position as Commander. You started this role in June, and we are very glad to have such an experienced General, and a fighter pilot, in charge at Brunssum. As Chief of the German Air Force, you made it a particular priority to improve operational readiness.

The changes you implemented have helped the German Air Force to go from strength to strength and to play a leading role in our Alliance. Here at Joint Force Command in Brunssum, you are looking to our northern and eastern flanks. These are areas where Russia constantly tries to test our resolve and our responses, but the men and women in Brunssum make sure that NATO's posture in this region remains strong and credible, no matter the threat or provocation.

NATO has responded quickly and decisively to Russia's airspace violations and every day our strong presence on the ground demonstrates our resolve. Our Forward Land Forces on the eastern flank send a strong signal to any adversary that NATO takes its mission to protect each and every Ally very seriously. We exercise regularly to ensure readiness, something that I know you understand better than anyone.

Just last week, Allies wrapped up exercise Bold Panzer in Estonia, a high intensity two-week exercise designed to test and reinforce NATO's readiness on the eastern flank. All of this makes sure that every inch of Allied territory is safe. No adversary can have any doubt about that. Dear Ingo, thank you once again for hosting me today.

Thank you for your leadership, and thanks to you and your Command for the important work you are doing. I look forward to working together to strengthen our deterrence and defence. So again, thank you for the warm welcome.