NATO Secretary General Calls on Alliance to Remain Strong & Invest Even More in Cutting Edge Technologies Like AI, Quantum Computing & Big Data

(DefenseNews) Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO Secretary General, discusses the need to adapt to a rapidly changing security environment. He writes, “we must remain ready to tackle any challenge, at any time, to keep our people safe — including during pandemics. Our militaries across the alliance have been playing a vital role in fighting the virus and saving lives. As we enter a new year and allies start rolling out COVID-19 vaccines, we can start to gradually recover from the health crisis.”
To keep NATO militarily strong, our nations need to continue investing in defense so that we have the best militaries with the right capabilities. To keep our technological edge, allies should invest even more in cutting-edge capabilities like artificial intelligence, big data and quantum computing.
Stoltenberg discusses relations with the USA as well. “We also need to use NATO even more as a platform for political consultations because this is the only place where North America and Europe meet every day to discuss, decide and act on our shared security.”
He also addressed China. “. . .while NATO will remain a regional alliance, we must take a more global approach to deal with global challenges such as the rise of China. China is not our adversary. Its rise on the global stage brings opportunities, but it also presents challenges. China has the second biggest defense budget in the world and continues to modernize its military at a rapid pace.”