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Good morning.

It is my great pleasure to address NATO’s Fifth Integrated Air and Missile Defence Conference, in beautiful Gdynia. 

This is an important event, and I want to thank Rear Admiral Professor Tomasz Szubrycht for graciously hosting.

Poland is an outstanding NATO Ally, with strong and capable armed forces and exemplary defence spending. You are investing heavily in critical capabilities like Patriot and Sky Saber air and missile defence systems; F-35s; and long-range fires.

Poland also hosts one of NATO’s Forward Land Forces and infrastructure that is absolutely essential for our collective defence.

Poland is also home to the NATO-Ukraine Joint Analysis Education and Training Centre – or JATEC, which is delivering important lessons from the battlefield.

The logistic support Poland provides for NATO’s Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine allows us to get equipment to where it is needed most. 

Turning to the subject at hand, NATO’s Integrated Air and Missile Defence is our first line of defence.

The threat from Russian drones and missiles is real, complex, and growing.

Last year we witnessed airspace violations by Russian drones and aircraft up and down the Eastern Flank.

I remember well the morning in September when Allied aircraft, including Polish jets, actively defended against one such drone incursion.

In response to this pattern of violations, SACEUR launched Eastern Sentry, to enhance our vigilance and to strengthen our deterrence and defence across the Eastern Flank.

And we continue to step up our efforts by rapidly growing capabilities and working toward a more agile defence industry.

The bottom line is, we need more air and missile defences now.

And we need them deployed in the right place and at the right level of readiness.

To integrate all of them, these capabilities must be complementary, and woven into a truly layered NATO IAMD construct.

This will allow us to address air and missile threats from all directions.

Now and in the future.

Not only from Russia, but also all other state and non-state actors. 

Events over the last few days demonstrate that the danger posed by Iran is far reaching.

Its drones targeted a UK military base in Cyprus.

And NATO intercepted a Iranian missile over Türkiye.

We have to be clear-eyed too, that North Korea continues to develop its missile programme.

It isn’t just about having more air and missile defences, it is also about updating this Alliance’s approach to IAMD.

Business as usual won’t meet the moment.

In addition to the exquisite, and expensive, interceptors we deploy against high-end missile systems, we need to field a large number of cheap interceptors to counter low-end systems, like one-way attack drones.

These investments in low- and high-end kit will only pay off if we can see and shoot incoming threats early.  So, we also need to procure sensors and command and control capabilities.

For that, it is essential that we have persistent air surveillance, from the ground to space.

Producing in a smart way means striking the right balance between our urgent requirements right now, and investing in future technologies.

We must do this jointly, by pooling our resources and capabilities.  This is the only credible way forward – working together and with partners at the EU and in the Indo-Pacific to find, finance, and field the best systems.

Furthermore, with the lightning speed of technological change, we cannot defend ourselves with more of the same capabilities.  Again, this is not the time for business as usual.

We need to focus on research and development. We, YOU, must drive innovation. This is the cornerstone of modern missile defence, and key to maintaining our strategic superiority.

That starts by making our processes and procedures more flexible and more agile.

By deepening our relationships with industry and academia.

Through innovation, by leveraging our comparative advantages, we can pose strategic dilemmas to our adversaries.

IAMD is a unique capability.

One that underpins both deterrence and defence.

NATO understands the urgency and importance of your work.

NATO must - and will - strengthen the shield that protects our skies.

NATO counts on you to think big.

To come up with innovative solutions.

To keep our Integrated Air and Missile Defence strong.

I wish you a very successful conference.

Thank you.  

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