NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told cadets at the U.S. Military Academy West Point that the Alliance is entering an “age of confrontation,” with Russia, China, North Korea and Iran working together to undermine the transatlantic community, the UK Defence Journal understands.
Addressing the corps of cadets on 25 September, Rutte set out a stark assessment of the global security environment. “We are in an age of confrontation. This is confrontation we did not seek. It was contrived in capitals working to undermine us – Moscow, Beijing, Pyongyang, and Tehran,” he said.
The Secretary General linked Russia’s war in Ukraine to this broader challenge. “Russia has brought war back to Europe and has teamed up with China, North Korea, and Iran to expand their capabilities and their ability to exert influence,” he warned.
At the same time, Rutte stressed that NATO’s collective strength remains decisive. “Our enduring commitment to NATO’s Article 5 – that an attack on one, is an attack on all – sends a powerful message. Any aggressor must know that we can – and will – hit back harder,” he said, highlighting that NATO’s 32 Allies represent half the world’s economic and military power.
The speech also pushed the need to rebalance the burden across the Atlantic. “America’s military has carried too much of the burden for too long. So, therefore, we are rebalancing our security for the better. With Europe and Canada stepping up. Everyone doing their fair share will make the transatlantic bond even stronger,” Rutte argued.
On Ukraine, he reinforced NATO’s continued support. “Ukraine’s security impacts all of our security. And NATO is committed to support Ukraine… Already this has channelled 2 billion dollars of military equipment from the US, to Ukraine, paid for by Allies,” he said, noting that security guarantees are being developed to ensure peace endures once fighting ends.
Rutte also underlined the enduring importance of the individual soldier, telling cadets: “The soldier is the Army. No army is better than its soldiers. If called on, you are the generation we will depend on to lead, to fight and to win.”
Potential confrontation with each other, too, if we don’t protect the integrity of international law and democracy in Europe.
It’s hard not to be extremely concerned, when everywhere you look, the far right are being emboldened by foreign actors (Russia, China and worse – the USA). Meanwhile we watch as the institutions & alliances that have ensured peace since WW2 are eroded and undermined by those obliged to protect them.
And through all of this, the response of our once great people is not one of outrage, but one of glee.
The chances of our children being engaged in a significant war in their lifetimes has gone up exponentially, in the space of just a few years. But that’s okay, because Trump has a grand strategy that we just can’t yet see, and Farage will stop the small boats.
I agree on the populists but I still don’t see major war on the cards. Ukraine has proven that the advantage is now clearly on the side of the defender and that the eastern authoritarian regimes are much weaker than they want us to believe. None of them lifted a finger to help Iran and Israel’s small western style air force cut through them like a knife through butter.
This is exactly what we seen in 91.
Despite Trump and other populists the world is actually much more united than it appears and the west had endured and become stronger since 2022.
Russia will soon break up. The Iranian regime will be overthrown and china will get smaller and poorer for many decades to come.
As for institutions like WTO and UN I think they have had their day. We need something new that doesn’t hold back democracy and reward dictatorships.
You’re wasted on here Jim.
We should call a meeting to discuss setting up a meeting so we can plan further meetings to discuss this.
Maybe we can come up with a few dozen pre concept Ideas and move forward to the next phase.
Subject to agreement.
Obviously we’ll have to have a meeting to discuss where the meeting should take place.
I think the term ‘meeting’ is anachronistic and something of a micro aggression to the modern audience. I suggest first of all we establish a focus group to determine the correct terminology and only then should we hold one of them thingies.
Ah but where should we establish this proposed Focus Group, we need a clear path and some basic ground rules in place before anything can be set in motion.
“Thingies” need to be thunk about in advance.
The sooner our politicians realise we’re at war with the Teemu Mongolian Horde the quicker we can bring peace to Europe again.