Source: NATO
Thank you Dr. Roberts,
dear Kevin,
Good morning all.
It is great to be back in Washington.
And a pleasure to speak at the Heritage Foundation.
You seek to advance the interests of American citizens.
And stand up for ideas that strengthen America,
and the fundamental values that underpin this great democratic nation.
Freedom, opportunity and prosperity.
Today, these values are under attack by malign foreign actors seeking to undermine them.
They are threatening our free world.
They are openly contesting American power.
And not just America.
They are trying to trample over the global rules that keep us all safe.
These are dangerous times.
China is modernising its military and developing new weapons,
without any transparency or any limitation.
It is trading unfairly.
Buying up critical infrastructure.
Bullying its neighbours – not least Taiwan.
And seeking to dominate the South China Sea.
While China is the most serious long-term challenge,
Russia is the most immediate one.
Putin has brought war back to Europe, on a scale not seen since the Second World War.
And is developing new strategic weapons to threaten the United States and its Allies.
His war is not just about controlling Ukraine.
It is about re-establishing Russia’s sphere of influence.
And shaping alternative world order.
Where U.S. power is diminished.
NATO is divided.
And smaller democracies are forced to kneel.
Other authoritarian regimes in Iran and North Korea are also expanding their aggressive behaviour.
Tehran is backing terrorists and militias that are attacking ships in the Red Sea.
And American military bases in the Middle East.
Just this week we saw the tragic consequences of the attack in Jordan.
Pyongyang continues to test missiles that could reach South Korea and Japan.
As well as the United States.
China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are increasingly aligned.
Together, they subvert sanctions and pressure.
Weaken the US dollar-based international financial system.
Fuel Russian war in Europe.
And exploit challenges to our societies,
such as terrorism, disruptive technologies, or migration.
In these dangerous times, we must stand strong against any regime that seeks to undermine us.
To do so, we must do three things.
First, we must ensure robust deterrence.
Not to start wars.
But to prevent them.
And preserve peace.
Any sign of wavering or weakness on our part will invite challenges from those who wish us harm.
That is why NATO has implemented the most robust collective defence since the Cold War.
We have more forces at higher readiness.
And more capabilities to protect our people,
and our territory.
We need to remain decisive and strong in our support to Ukraine.
Make no mistake: that is where we are being tested right now.
Ukraine must prevail.
And it can.
But it needs our continued help.
And let me recognise the leading role of the United States in supporting Ukraine.
Not least in providing essential military aid.
At the same time, we should acknowledge that European Allies and Canada also provide significant support to Ukraine, what they support, what they provide, in terms of military, financial, and humanitarian aid actually exceeds what the U.S. is providing.
Since the outbreak of the war, the United States has provided around 75 billion U.S. dollars.
Other Allies and partners have provided over 100 billion dollars.
And measured as share of GDP,
most Allies provide more than the United States.
In addition, Europe Allies host six million Ukrainian refugees.
European Allies were the first to provide tanks and long-range missiles to Ukraine.
The first to provide fighter aircraft.
And the first to train thousands of Ukrainian soldiers.
Supporting Ukraine is not charity.
It is an investment in our own security.
The United States has spent a small fraction of its annual military budget to aid Ukraine.
With that, Ukraine has managed to destroy a substantial part of Russia’s combat capacity.
And again, supporting Ukraine is in America’s own interest.
If we cannot stop Russia’s cycle of aggression in Europe, others will learn the lesson that using force against America’s interests works.
The price for our security will go up.
China is watching closely.
And supporting Putin.
Let’s remember, China and Russia are partners.
Putin and Xi have signed an agreement of ‘limitless partnership’.
Beijing has failed to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
It continues to spread Russian lies,
and to prop up the Russian economy.
It is Ukraine today.
Taiwan could be tomorrow.
This brings me to my second point.
We must organise ourselves for enduring competition with China.
The U.S. has been doing this for some time.
You shifted your policy on China in 2017, under President Trump.
And since then, NATO has gone a long way in helping European Allies fully appreciate the challenges posed by China.
And respond to it.
It is clear that we must eliminate harmful dependencies on critical Chinese raw materials and products.
Europe made the mistake to rely on Russian oil and gas.
We cannot repeat that same mistake with China.
Dependencies make us vulnerable.
That is why we need to protect our critical infrastructure, strategic materials and supply chains.
We must not lose control of our ports, railways, and telecommunications – like 5G.
And we must not export technology that can be used against us.
Managing the China challenge is not something the U.S. can do alone.
And you don’t have to.
Through NATO, the U.S. has the support of 31 Allies and a vast network of partners.
Especially in the Indo-Pacific.
NATO is working more closely than ever with Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea.
We are making our forces more interoperable.
So they can work seamlessly together.
And we cooperate on issues of shared interest.
Including China.
Together, we are much stronger.
Now to my third and final point.
We must invest in our defence.
NATO will remain central to this effort.
Over many years, the United States has criticised NATO Allies for not spending enough on defence.
Rightly so.
And I commend the U.S. leadership on this important issue.
But things have changed.
All Allies have increased defence investments.
Adding an additional 450 billion dollars.
NATO Allies have committed to spending at least 2% of their GDP on defence.
And many are exceeding that target already.
For example, this year Poland will spend more than 4%.
No other Ally spends more.
With more money, we are boosting our defence industry.
NATO creates a market for defence sales.
Over the last two years, NATO Allies have agreed to purchase 120 billion dollars’ worth of weapons from U.S. defence companies.
Including thousands of missiles to the U.K, Finland and Lithuania,
Hundreds of Abrams tanks to Poland and Romania,
And hundreds of F-35 aircraft across many European Allied nations – a total of 600 by 2030.
From Arizona to Virginia, Florida to Washington state,
American jobs depend on American sales to defence markets in Europe and Canada.
What you produce keeps people safe.
What Allies buy keeps American businesses strong.
So NATO is a good deal for the United States.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The Heritage Foundation stands for the power of ideas that keep America strong.
NATO is an incredibly powerful idea.
That advances U.S. interests.
And multiplies America’s power.
The U.S. alone represents a quarter of the world economy.
But together, with NATO Allies,
we represent half of the world’s economic might.
And half of the world’s military might.
Together, we have world-class militaries,
vast intelligence networks,
more defence spending,
and unique diplomatic leverage.
More than an idea, NATO is a strong Alliance.
Getting stronger, and bigger.
With new Allies – Finland, and soon Sweden.
And more partnerships around the world.
Through NATO, the U.S. has more friends and allies than any other power.
China and Russia has nothing like NATO.
It is why they always try to undermine our unity.
In times of growing competition and rivalry.
NATO makes the U.S. stronger.
And all of us safer.
This year, we will celebrate NATO’s 75th anniversary.
With a Summit here in Washington in July.
It will be an opportunity to send a powerful message of unity and resolve in this challenging century.
Thank you so much.