When: June 9, 2021
Where: Atlantic Council Building, Washington DC, United States
SACEUR/EUCOM:
JIM, THANKS SO MUCH FOR THAT KIND INTRODUCTION. AND IT'S GOOD TO BE HERE WITH MS STARLING. OUR THANKS TO THE SCOWCROFT CENTER, THE ATLANTIC COUNCIL, AND SAAB FOR PUTTING THIS TOGETHER. ON BEHALF OF THE DEDICATED MEN AND WOMEN SUSTAINING PEACE ACROSS THE EURO-ATLANTIC REGION, IT'S AN HONOUR TO DISCUSS HOW USEUCOM AND NATO CONTINUE TO EVOLVE OUR APPROACHES TO COMPETITION, CRISIS, AND CONFLICT.
WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR THE TECHNOLOGY AND THOSE WHO ENABLE THESE IMPORTANT EVENTS IN THE MIDST OF THE PANDEMIC. WE OFFER CONDOLENCES TO ALL THOSE IMPACTED BY COVID-19. IN USEUCOM, WE CONTINUE WORKING DILIGENTLY ALONGSIDE ALLIES AND PARTNERS TO ENSURE THIS HEALTH CRISIS DOESN'T BECOME A SECURITY CRISIS. THUS FAR, THE TEAM'S BEEN SUCCESSFUL, AND VACCINE DISTRIBUTION AND EFFICACY CONTINUE TO BRING RELIEF.
AS YOU ALL KNOW, WE LIVE IN AN INCREASINGLY COMPLEX AND CONTESTED WORLD. POLITICAL UNCERTAINTY, ENERGY COMPETITION, AND DIFFUSION OF DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGY ARE STRESSING THE ESTABLISHED RULES-BASED INTERNATIONAL ORDER. THREATS AND CHALLENGERS SEEK TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THESE CONDITIONS THROUGH AGGRESSIVE ACTION USING ALL INSTRUMENTS OF NATIONAL POWER, AND THEY'RE BACKED BY INCREASINGLY CAPABLE MILITARY FORCES. ADVERSARIES AMPLIFY THESE MALIGN ACTIVITIES AND FOSTER INSTABILITY WITH DISINFORMATION AND CHALLENGE OUR FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT.
FOR THE LAST EIGHT DECADES, THE U.S. HAS JOINED OUR REGIONAL ALLIES AND PARTNERS TO PRESERVE FREEDOM AND SECURITY ON THE EUROPEAN CONTINENT. TODAY, EUROPE AND THE EURO-ATLANTIC SERVE AS AN EXPORTER OF GLOBAL PEACE AND SECURITY. HOME TO MORE THAN ONE BILLION PEOPLE, THIS AREA REPRESENTS THE CRADLE OF DEMOCRATIC VALUES ...AND IS THE UNITED STATES' NUMBER ONE TRADING PARTNER. OUR TRANSATLANTIC BOND IS AND MUST REMAIN THE CORNERSTONE OF GLOBAL SECURITY IN THE 21ST CENTURY.
NATO'S OUR STRATEGIC CENTRE OF GRAVITY AND THE FOUNDATION OF DETERRENCE AND ASSURANCE IN EUROPE. IN 2019, THE NATO MILITARY COMMITTEE ENDORSED THE NATO MILITARY STRATEGY FOR COMPREHENSIVE DEFENSE AND SHARED RESPONSE, WHICH FRAMES HOW THE ALLIANCE ADDRESSES CHALLENGES ACROSS ALL DOMAINS WITHIN A WHOLE OF GOVERNMENT, WHOLE OF NATION, WHOLE OF ALLIANCE APPROACH. AS A RESULT, IN 2020, ALL THIRTY NATO DEFENSE MINISTERS APPROVED NATO'S CONCEPT FOR THE DETERRENCE AND DEFENSE OF THE EURO-ATLANTIC AREA...WHICH WE CALL "DDA." THIS CONCEPT DEVELOPS ALLIANCE PLANNING TO ACHIEVE THE STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONAL INTENT OF THE NATO MILITARY STRATEGY.
DDA UNITES NATIONAL, REGIONAL, AND THEATRE-WIDE MILITARY EFFORTS TO A COMMON PURPOSE. IT PROVIDES NATIONS WITH A FRAMEWORK TO ALIGN RESPECTIVE NATIONAL MILITARY DETERRENCE ACTIVITIES IN PEACETIME AND…IF DIRECTED…DEFEND IN CRISIS AND CONFLICT.
DDA AIDES THE ALLIANCE IN DAY TO DAY PEACETIME ACTIVITIES VIA THE SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER EUROPE'S STRATEGIC DIRECTIVE FOR AOR MANAGEMENT. IT ALSO ASSISTS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF PLANS TO ADDRESS MULTIPLE CONTINGENCIES IN CRISIS AND CONFLICT, WHICH WE CALL SACEUR'S AOR-WIDE STRATEGIC PLAN OR "SASP".
THIS ARCHITECTURE PROVIDES MAXIMUM MILITARY COHERENCE AT THE TACTICAL, OPERATIONAL, AND STRATEGIC LEVELS, ACROSS ALL DOMAINS, IN BOTH EVERY DAY PEACETIME COMPETITION AND IF REQUIRED, THROUGH PERIODS OF POTENTIAL CRISIS AND CONFLICT.
USEUCOM'S THEATRE STRATEGY IS CLOSELY ALIGNED WITH NATO, AND TOGETHER, WE COMPETE, DETER, AND PREPARE TO RESPOND TO AGGRESSION WITH THE FULL WEIGHT OF THE NATO ALLIANCE. WE IMPLEMENT THIS STRATEGY THROUGH OPERATIONS, ACTIVITIES, AND INVESTMENTS.
RIGHT NOW SOPHISTICATED U.S. NAVY SHIPS ARE SAILING WITH A U.S. MARINE CORPS F-35 SQUADRON EMBARKED ON THE U.K.'S NEWEST AIRCRAFT CARRIER... THE HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH...TOGETHER THEY'RE OPERATING ALONGSIDE MARITIME SUPPORT FROM NORWAY, GERMANY, DENMARK, ITALY, AND OTHER NATIONS AS QUEEN ELIZABETH COMPLETES HER MAIDEN DEPLOYMENT. THIS TRULY INTEGRATED OPERATION DEMONSTRATES DETERRENCE WITH A CAPITAL D.
WE'RE ALSO EXECUTING OUR DEFENDER SERIES EXERCISES...COMPOSED OF USEUCOM'S DEFENDER EUROPE AND NATO'S STEADFAST DEFENDER…FORTY THOUSAND SERVICE MEMBERS…U.S., ALLIES, AND PARTNERS…FROM ALL WARFARE DOMAINS, DEMONSTRATING THEIR ABILITY TO LIFT AND SHIFT MASSIVE FORCES OVER LARGE SWATHES OF TERRITORY AT SPEED AND AT SCALE FROM THE ATLANTIC TO THE EASTERN PERIPHERY OF THE EUROPEAN CONTINENT…AND WHILE ON STATION, THEY'RE SHARPENING THEIR RESPONSIVENESS, RESILIENCY, AND LETHALITY. THE DEFENDER SERIES CLEARLY DEMONSTRATES THAT THE ALLIANCE IS WELL TRAINED, COMMITTED, AND READY TO PRESERVE PEACE IN EUROPE.
SUCCESS IN 21ST CENTURY WARFARE DEMANDS THAT WE EVOLVE TO COMPETE IN NEW DOMAINS…EXPANDING WORLDWIDE CYBER CAPABILITIES REQUIRES US TO ENHANCE GLOBAL CYBER DEFENSES AND IMPOSE COSTS AGAINST MALICIOUS DISINFORMATION AND BEHAVIOUR. AND WE REMAIN LASER FOCUSED IN SPACE. TO SUPPORT THESE EFFORTS, NATO'S CYBERSPACE OPERATION CENTRE IS LOCATED AT THE SUPREME HEADQUARTERS ALLIED POWERS EUROPE IN MONS, BELGIUM AND IT'S SPACE CENTRE IS FULLY INTEGRATED INTO ALLIED AIR COMMAND AT RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, GERMANY. MAINTAINING STABILITY WITH RESPONSIBLE SPACE AND CYBER ACTIVITIES ARE VITAL TO USEUCOM AND NATO.
RESILIENT, ADAPTABLE, AND COMBAT-CREDIBLE FORCES ARE FUNDAMENTAL TO THE ALLIANCE'S SECURITY. OUR STRONG BILATERAL AND MULTILATERAL TIES WITH EUROPEAN ALLIES AND PARTNERS ENABLE ADVANCEMENT OF OUR SHARED INTERESTS. OUR MILITARY TO MILITARY RELATIONSHIPS ACROSS THE EURO-ATLANTIC AREA REMAIN STRONG, SIGNALLING THE RESILIENCE OF OUR COLLECTIVE DEFENSE.
EUROPE AND THE U.S. REMAIN THE FOUNDATION OF A DEMOCRATIC, RULES-BASED, INTERNATIONAL ORDER. MAINTAINING A CAPABLE U.S. PRESENCE IN EUROPE STRENGTHENS OUR NATIONAL SECURITY BY ENCOURAGING PEACE, UNITY, AND COHESION BETWEEN EUROPE'S INDIVIDUAL NATIONS. U.S. SERVICE-MEMBERS IN EUROPE CONTINUE TO GENERATE GLOBAL PEACE ALONGSIDE OUR ALLIES AND PARTNERS, EFFECTIVELY COMPETING, DETERRING ATTACKS FROM POTENTIAL AGGRESSORS, AND PREPARING OUR ALLIES AND PARTNERS TO RESPOND DECISIVELY.
WE THANK THE ATLANTIC COUNCIL FOR SIXTY YEARS OF NAVIGATING THE ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL CHANGES IN SUPPORT OF A MORE FREE, SECURE, AND PROSPEROUS WORLD.
USEUCOM'S SOLDIERS, SAILORS, AIRMEN, MARINES, COAST GUARDSMEN, AND GUARDIANS EMBRACE THIS ERA OF STRATEGIC COMPETITION, AND TOGETHER WITH OUR ALLIES AND PARTNERS, ARE COMMITTED TO DEFENDING THE HOMELAND FORWARD AND PRESERVING PEACE FOR THE ONE BILLION PEOPLE LIVING IN THE EURO-ATLANTIC REGION. WE ARE...STRONGER TOGETHER.