Speech minister Hennis-Plasschaert op de Future Force Conference

Toespraak | 25-03-2015

Your Highness,
Knight of the Military Order of William,
Your Excellency,
Generals, Admirals,
Ladies and gentlemen,

In the late 1990s, I spent a few years in Riga (Latvia) working for the European Commission. Latvia was on the road to EU membership at the time. It was a country still struggling to make the transition from communism to liberty.

My experience in Latvia made me realize - more than I had realized before - that liberty, security and prosperity can never be taken for granted. That they are worth fighting for, every single day.

Years later, that realization struck me even more on one of my trips to Belarus. I went to Belarus to visit the opposition. However, as soon as I arrived I was interrogated and denied entry by the Lukashenko regime. This incident strengthened my belief that we - in Europe and the Transatlantic community – that we have a key role to play in securing and defending democratic values in our immediate region and beyond.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The freedom of choice, the freedom of speech, the freedom to be your true self. Without compulsion, without threats, without harassment. The freedom of not having to watch your back because you are different, because you believe in something different or because you opt for something different than those in power or those that seek power. The freedom of not having to live in fear. We hold our freedom dear. It is essential to our democracies.

But what do we do when our freedom is under attack? How do we act in a changing and less secure world?

Ladies and gentlemen,

Let's face it: in a less secure world, we have to re-energize Western security. We must not shy from taking groundbreaking initiatives. We cannot assume to remain in the lead militarily if we do not invest in much-needed new capabilities. We can no longer simply assume the geopolitical dominance of the West, expecting others to abide by it. We cannot even safely assume that the strong article 5 based cohesion in the Transatlantic Alliance, expressed through the reassurance measures, will continue to provide sufficient deterrence. At some point, we may be forced to act militarily in order to remain secure on the European continent. We must be ready for such a challenging contingency. And let me emphasize that I have no desire whatsoever for a new Cold War. But it behooves a country of Russia's stature to respect international law not only in words, but also in deeds.

Russia's behavior continues to leave much to be desired. A stable relationship with Russia therefore requires a different posture on the part of NATO than the one we have been used to in the past 25 years. What is more, European security is affected by developments in the south as well, where the Arab spring has turned into a long winter. The endemic instability in North Africa, the Sahel region and the Middle East affects us directly. And this, too, requires a firm response if we wish to remain secure.

So yes, stability and democracy not only benefit the citizens of the countries around Europe. They are also very much in our own interest. We can surely agree that events in other parts of the world have a direct impact on our own security and prosperity. In fact, the instability around Europe is making itself felt in our homelands. One only has to think of the massacre in Paris 3 months ago. In other words: we cannot afford to turn our backs on the fires burning around the world. And fires are indeed burning. We must take action. Indeed, action cannot wait.

Ladies and gentlemen,

At this stage some 60 nations are united in order to degrade and, ultimately, destroy the terrorist movement DAESH. A unique and indispensable coalition, committed to - what is likely to be - a longterm campaign.

President Obama stated, and very rightly so, that this is not a classic battle in the sense that we defeat them on the battlefield and then they ultimately surrender. What we are fighting is an ideological strain of extremism that poses a significant threat to all of us, that poses a significant threat to our interests, that poses a significant threat to our values. 1 thing is certainly clear: this is a highly persistent threat, for which quick fixes do not exist.

Most analyses underline that these conflicts surrounding Europe will be of long duration. And that the threat is extremely diverse - ranging from the territorial threat to the threats of terrorism, religious radicalism, sectarian violence and collapsing states resulting in large flows of refugees and displaced persons, illegal immigration and international crime. In addition, we need to devote urgent attention to threats in the digital domain.

And I have no patience, as we have no time to lose when it comes to reinventing ourselves and our strength, reinventing our strength in order to meet current and emerging threats in a rapidly changing world. The fact is that, if democracies do not take the initiative, others will take the helm of international events.

Europe and the West should stop drifting. It is high time to get our act together. We cannot afford to be driven apart. We all share global interests.

Ladies and gentlemen,

How to act in this rapidly changing and less secure world?

US Assistant Secretary Victoria Nuland stated: In today’s interconnected world, strength at home and strength abroad…are a package deal. The Transatlantic Community is strongest when we share the risk and the responsibility. We need each other to be our best.

How right she is. In this complex global setting, we can only deal with current and emerging threats if we work together in a true partnership. NATO is 65 years old, but NATO cannot retire. In fact, NATO cannot even slow down or 'take it easy'. And European nations have a key role to play here. The need for a more active, more coherent and more capable Europe in the field of security and defense is urgent. We must carry our share of the burden, including the risks. Not because we are told to do so by our American allies, but because it is in Europe’s interest!

And yes, in the past, there were those who argued that a strong Europe in the field of security and defense would harm NATO. They were wrong. A strong Europe will only benefit NATO and reinforce the transatlantic bond.

Obviously, we should avoid duplication of what is being done effectively under NATO. We need to ensure complementarity, cooperation and coordination. Over the past decades, the Alliance has demonstrated its accomplishments. But NATO's continued success is not self-evident.

And within this context, it is high time to position Europe as a credible and convincing security provider. And by doing so, meeting the European commitment of being a reliable and capable ally. Military shortfalls, and the resulting overreliance on the US, can only be fixed if European nations develop joint approaches. So, they must boost their military effectiveness. They must enhance their ability to act. They must commit. The Netherlands is committed!

But are we on the right track? Are we doing enough to reverse the trend towards instability and conflict?

There are some very small baby steps into the right direction, true. There is an interesting list of European cooperation initiatives on delivering key capabilities. And also true, by now we have several good examples of pooling & sharing resources. But I still miss the overall sense of urgency. Decision-making is still too cumbersome and takes too long. So, today I would like to emphasize the need for stepping up our efforts. We need a step-change in this regard! It must be clear that each and every European nation shares responsibility for our collective security.

To be clear: this is not to a prelude to advocating a single 'European army'. Such an army is not a realistic prospect in the near future. But European nations, or clusters of nations, will have to come up with the military means through greater cooperation.

So we do need a new burst of energy, a new burst of confidence, a new burst of commitment and unity.

And so yes, without any doubt, I am a strong proponent of greater European defense cooperation. As for The Netherlands, it can build upon existing, long-term partnerships. The recent increase in German-Dutch cooperation demonstrates what can be done. Not only do we have a joint headquarters in Munster, the Dutch Airmobile Brigade was recently fully integrated into the German Division Schnelle Kräfte. And there is more to come.

My country's cooperation with Belgium is also worth mentioning. The Dutch and Belgium cooperation resulted - already years ago - in fully integrated navies. As far as the Netherlands is concerned, this cooperation will continue to be a mainstay in the Dutch armed forces. And we are working on integrated air policing, including quick reaction alert and national renegade tasks.

Now, I would like to put this forward as an example of a smarter approach towards defense. The advantage is obvious. After the ratification of the treaty governing the integrated air policing task, we will need fewer pilots for the monitoring of our airspace. This frees up much-needed capacity for other missions, such as the fight against DAESH as well as NATO's reassurance measures.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Greater European defense cooperation also means breaking new ground with respect to planning, acquisition, training and logistical support. It means that we must align our collective requirements and national priorities. It means that we should not shy away from innovative and creative partnerships.

And yes, further international cooperation requires a substantial commitment. It does not happen overnight. We need to be in it for the long haul. And obviously, European military cooperation can only be effective if partner nations are prepared to continue to invest in military capabilities, if partner nations are trustworthy and predictable in their responses. Reliable partners do not scrap or pull back their shared capabilities at the last minute. Of course, the Netherlands should be held to this norm as well.

We need to be open and transparent, about our strengths as well as our weaknesses. As we all know: trust is hard to gain, but easy to lose. Trust is essential for any kind of relationship, and definitely for relationships of a more strategic nature. Without this mutual trust it is impossible to build a successful military partnership. It is therefore important that all of us, including our national parliaments, feel ownership. Too often, closer military cooperation is still perceived as a constraint on sovereignty and national control. And as a result, we - all too often - undermine our efficiency and effectiveness.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Within this context, it is also worth touching upon the importance of a well-functioning, open and transparent European defense market. As we all know, the European defense market is highly regulated at a national level. A fragmented market. A market that creates red tape and hampers innovation. A market that seems to reward duplication of defense programmes and research.

Because of what? Political reasons? Employment and national interests? Do we truly find this acceptable in the year 2015?

In this area as well, the time has come to take ambitious action. We need a competitive market in which all sort of companies, small or big, have cross-border access. We need a market that leads in terms of value for money. This would serve our armed forces, it would serve our security needs.

Moreover, we need to better connect, and to apply, knowledge in order to create innovations that boost our collective defense capabilities and concepts of operations. And at the heart of innovation is the collective notion that those who initiate change will have a better opportunity to manage the change that is inevitable. Knowledge-development is always a joint endeavor. In other words: we need to work in partnership. Our armed forces, research and scientific institutes as well as industry.

Our engagement in innovation should receive the same attention - as it were - a major combat operation. Innovation is indispensable in order to stay ahead of potential opponents. And I sincerely hope that the closing panel (later today) will arrive at some meaningful and clear conclusions.

Ladies and gentlemen,

In closing, I would like to underline that security comes at a price. And our need for security justifies paying that price. In a less secure world, it is obvious that we need more Defense. It is therefore essential to live up to the decisions taken at the NATO Summit in Wales and to reverse the trend of declining defense budgets. We have to publicly acknowledge the importance of investing in defense. We should not shy away from the fact that defense needs resources.

Robert Gates once said: "The lessons of history tell us we must not diminish our ability or our determination to deal with the threats and challenges on the horizons, because ultimately they will need to be confronted." Rightly so. The substantial security challenges with which we are faced, require an equally substantial response, both in terms of our investment in the forces of the future, and in terms of the cooperation needed for achieving results. These are collective challenges that should be collectively met.

Ladies and gentlemen,

In order to stand ready, in order to serve and to protect, we must not hesitate but lead.