The NATO’s Secretary General spoke at the NATO-Industry Forum in Stockholm last week
NATO’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has highlighted the vital link between NATO, allied countries and industry when it comes to ensuring support to Ukraine, strengthening deterrence and defence, and maintaining the Alliance’s technological edge at the NATO-Industry Forum in Stockholm last week.
Stoltenberg stressed that while some investors “have the misguided idea that the defence industry is somehow ‘unethical’,” – there is nothing unethical about defending Allies or helping Ukrainian soldiers to defend their country. “Indeed, without industry, there is no defence, no deterrence and no security,” he said.
The Alliance’s relationship with industry has become more critical than ever since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year. Many countries have significantly depleted their stocks to support Ukraine, which will continue to need large quantities of high-quality capabilities to defend itself.
“Now we need to ramp up production to meet Ukraine’s needs, but also to strengthen our own deterrence and defence,” Stoltenberg said.
He underlined that NATO’s members have implemented the biggest reinforcement of the collective defence since the Cold War and increased defence spending. He also recalled that, at the Vilnius Summit, they stepped up even more, including by approving a new Defence Production Action Plan to aggregate demand, boost capacity, strengthen engagement with industry and increase interoperability.
The Secretary General also stressed the importance of cooperating with the private sector on innovation. “NATO needs industry as we navigate a world shaped by disruptive new technologies. Technologies like artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, biotech and quantum are changing the character of conflict as much as the Industrial Revolution.” This means that “we must constantly sharpen our technological edge by developing and adopting new technologies; cooperating with the private sector; shaping global standards; and embedding principles of responsible use that our democratic values enshrine.”
This is the first time a NATO invitee nation (whose accession seems now to be certain after Turkey finally agreed on it) hosted the NATO-Industry Forum.
