NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană (R) and Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Peter Rough (L).

Since NATO’s founding 70 years ago, many things have changed – shifting geopolitical alliances, more advanced technologies – yet the threats facing democracies and open societies remain as critical as ever.

In his inaugural public remarks in Washington, the new Deputy Secretary General of NATO, Mircea Geoană, visited Hudson to highlight how the alliance is meeting the challenges ahead. As a distinguished Romanian public servant, Mr. Geoană is the first citizen of a former Eastern bloc nation to hold the position.

Following his remarks, Mr. Geoană joined Hudson Senior Fellow Peter Rough for a forward-looking conversation about how NATO members have stepped up burden-sharing in recent years and how the organization is readying itself for tomorrow’s battlefield domains. Watch the event, read the transcript, and see below for highlights. 

5 Takeaways from NATO Deputy Secretary General Geoană

Why NATO matters:

Do not take freedom for granted because history never stops. Geopolitical competition never stops. We are witnessing today a fight for the commanding heights of how human societies are organized between us - the ones that believe that democracy and free markets and open societies are the solution - and others that do believe that closed societies, authoritarian regimes, dictatorships are the most efficient formula to govern more than societies.

China's treaty-busting missile capabilities:

China already has hundreds of missiles that would have been prohibited by the INF Treaty and recently displayed an advanced intercontinental nuclear missile able to reach United States and Europe. China is not violating any arms control treaty because it's not part of those treaties.

But as a major military power, it also has major responsibilities. You cannot ask for global status without assuming also responsibilities for world order. And this is why we believe that China - it's high time for China to participate in arms control alongside Russia and United States. So it might happen today or tomorrow, but this is an indispensable part for a world that will stay at peace.

The threat of Russia:

Almost exactly six years ago, covert Russian forces illegally annexed Crimea, part of sovereign Ukraine. It was the first time that one European country had taken part of another by force since the end of the Second World War.

This has been followed by a constant stream of aggressive actions, from daily cyber attacks to interference in our elections to attempted assassinations on allied soil, not to mention the ongoing conflict in the east of Ukraine that has cost more than 1,300 lives and displaced more than a million other people. Russia's actions' challenge on our democracies are an attempt to divide us, to derail our way of life and to put the seed of mistrust in our own values.

NATO’s current military engagements:

As we speak, Exercise DEFENDER-Europe 20 is deploying 20,000 American troops to Europe, the largest such deployment in a quarter of a century. And Europe has stepped up, too, investing far more in defense.

European allies and Canada have increased defense spending for five years in a row. By the end of next year, they will have added an additional $130 billion to their defense budgets since 2016, a figure that will reach, by 2024, $400 billion. That's a considerable amount of investment.

We invest in our defense not only because it is right and fair and we share the burden of our security with our American friends and allies, but because it is also in the national interest of each and every ally to do so.

Tech as the next major battlefield:

In December, allies also agreed on a common approach to the protection of our telecommunications infrastructure, including 5G, and a new roadmap on disruptive technologies to make sure we keep our technological edge.

We have declared space as the fifth operational domain for NATO alongside land, air, sea and cyberspace because so many of the modern state competition takes place also in space. This is a vital necessity to focus our nation on the next generation of technologies.

Quotes have been edited for length and clarity

Go Deeper: Hudson on NATO

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