Opening remarks

Ladies and Gentlemen, Members of the media,

Welcome to NATO Headquarters, and thank you for being here.

Bienvenue à la première session du Comité militaire des chefs d'état-major de la défense de 2026!

Allow me to start by welcoming, for his first attendance in this Committee as Chief of Defence of Slovenia, Brigadier General Boštjan MOČNIK.

Let me also thank our two Strategic Commanders: Supreme Allied Commander Europe, SACEUR, General Grynkewich, "Grynch"; and Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, SACT, Admiral Vandier - Pierre. Thank you for being here, and for your command leadership.

I would also like to acknowledge and thank the NATO international staff civilian leaders whom I have invited to join us, and whose perspective on our political and military Alliance is so important.

Ladies and gentlemen, the security picture at the start of 2026 continues to be extremely demanding.

Russia's war against Ukraine continues.

Instability and violence persist along NATO's southern neighbourhood.

Tensions also affect trade routes, energy flows, and security far beyond Europe and North America.

Others malign actors continue to jeopardize global stability.

And every day, we face cyber attacks, sabotage, coercion, and disinformation. New technology can spread these hybrid threats faster, and make them harder to trace.

But we have seen new efforts to bring peace in Ukraine, including initiatives led by the United States. And also the efforts to enable that peace through the Coalition of the Willing framework, under the leadership of France and the United Kingdom, joined by many nations, looking ahead to what Ukraine may need in the future.

In the last year, I have personally witnessed the strength of the Ukrainians in their fight for freedom and sovereignty.

And our support to Ukraine has grown stronger and more organised.

Initiatives like NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine; the Joint Analysis, Training and Education Center; and Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List, to which many nations now contribute, are delivering more and more.

In the last year, we have strengthened vigilance and action to protect our own countries, including the successful launch of Baltic Sentry and Eastern Sentry.

And we have increased the number and size of our exercises.

From a military point of view, these efforts demonstrate a modern Alliance that can defend and deter, from a 360-degree perspective.

They also reflect the exceptional responsiveness and adaptability of ACO and ACT.

And, with the decisions taken at The Hague, last summer, all Allies have agreed on increasing investments in defence.

Our discussions today and tomorrow shall be guided - as always - by our shared responsibility to provide candid and unfettered professional military advice to NATO's political leadership, drawing on our technical expertise and experience as well as the special responsibility of CHODs in leading our forces in the defence of our nations and citizens.

We have a busy agenda today.

We will begin with an Act of Remembrance, because our duty today is built on the sacrifice of others.

We will then hear SACEUR's assessment of readiness, deterrence, and defence, because deterrence comprises real forces, real plans, and real resolve.

Right after, it will be SACT's turn to present his views on the future, including how we are speeding up the delivery of key capabilities, so our forces stay ready for today's threats and tomorrow's risks.

During our two-day meeting, we will also focus on partnerships, including the NATO-Ukraine Council, and engagement with Indo-Pacific partners and Georgia, because security is global, and interconnected, and our approach must reflect this reality.

And we will also note our partnership with the European Union. As we face common threats, this partnership makes us stronger.

Allow me now a brief personal reflection.

It has been a year since I had the privilege to chair this Committee.

After this time, I can testify to one main point: cohesion is the key quality of this group.

Yes, we do have differences, and that is normal in an Alliance of democracies. But those differences can and do make us better.

I therefore look forward to a very engaging and productive meeting.

At this point, I am happy to introduce a brief greeting from Secretary General Rutte. Although he could not be here with us in person today, he asked me to convey this message to you:

(Secretary General's Video Message)

Many thanks to our Secretary General, for this message.

I couldn't agree more, especially with his remarks to the troops.

This bridges to our next duty: our Act of Remembrance.

We think of the men and women in uniform: those who serve today, and those who served throughout the seventy-seven years of our Alliance, making it the strongest and most successful in the world.

We think in particular of those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice, or who suffer the physical and mental effects of service.

We honour the soldiers from Ukraine too, whose fight is our fight. We stand by your side.

We think of all the families of the men and women in uniform, who carry a heavy burden with quiet strength.

We honour them all by staying united, staying ready, and doing our duty.

Please, I invite you to stand for a moment of silence in their respect.

(Act of Remembrance)

Thank you all.

Now, before we move into our closed discussions, allow me a final word - through the Media - to the citizens of the Alliance.

Security involves everyone.

It is not only a matter for politicians, or for the military of the 32 Allies and this Committee that represents them.

It concerns every family, every community, and every workplace.

That is why we need not only support, but real engagement from the more than a billion people we are committed to defend.

We will now close the public part of this meeting and move into detailed, frank discussions among Chiefs of Defence.

I now kindly ask the media to leave the room.