In a strategic conversation today (27 April 2020) with Friends of Europe senior fellow Jamie Shea, the NATO Deputy Secretary General, Mircea Geoan, argued that now is not the time to cut investments in defence. This pandemic has not made the security risks to our nearly 1 billion citizens disappear, said Geoan.

He added that we live in a world that is even more unpredictable. He underscored the important role of the military both in helping save lives and in keeping our citizens safe, and stressed the importance that we continue to invest in our armed forces.

The Deputy Secretary General also mentioned that in these very difficult months and weeks of this pandemic, Allies have shown solidarity. NATO has flown more than 100 missions and strategic airlifts providing essential medical and healthcare assistance to Allies and partners. NATO has also helped construct field hospitals and deployed thousands of military medical personnel in support of civilian efforts. The Deputy Secretary General indicated that we are an Alliance which is based on the culture of solidarity, and this is is one of those times when solidarity has been proven and to this day, our solidarity remains intact.

Mircea Geoan spoke about the deliberate and continuous efforts by some actors to use this difficult moment to seed discord and mistrust, to undermine our resilience and to weaken our political democratic system. We are pushing back because this is not OK, said Geoan. Together with the European Union and others, NATO will continue to push back energetically and professionally against those abusing the situation.

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NATO Deputy Secretary General conversation with Friends of Europe on NATO's response to COVID-19 - NATO HQ