Secretary Healey, Minister Pistorius – thank you very much for convening this important session today.
The developments since our last UDCG underscore how quickly and materially the strategic landscape can change.
We must be clear-eyed about the gravity of the current moment: Europe must accelerate its assumption of primary responsibility for the conventional defense of the continent. This is not a matter of choice, but of strategic necessity.
President Trump took decisive action by launching Operation EPIC FURY to degrade Iranian power projection capability and more broadly ensure that Iran cannot acquire a nuclear weapon. Such an undertaking has demanded an employment of significant American resources, attention, and industrial capacity.
At the same time, the United States continues to shoulder a global security burden – often in theaters where European economic and security stakes are considerably greater than our own – such as the Strait of Hormuz.
President Trump has rightly made clear that he expects allies and partners to step up and help secure this vital waterway in the Middle East. I underline the criticality of this for our relationship going forward.
As every nation rightly prioritizes its own interests, so, too, the United States must prioritize the most consequential threats to Americans.
The defense of Ukraine has been sustained largely by drawing down finite U.S. stockpiles, supplemented by Europe's contributions. This has been a "NATO 2.0" response to a "NATO 3.0" reality. Fortunately, this has begun to change. But time is of the essence – it is a luxury we do not have. I must stress the importance of dramatic action for Europe to accelerate stepping up.
Europe must put the defense of the continent and, by extension, its military support for Ukraine on a truly sustainable footing. We are prepared to continue helping through initiatives like PURL, but this support must not rely on significant U.S. contributions. I am preaching to the choir here, as I know many of you in your capitals and countries are leaning forward to do so and I applaud those who are.
The need to quickly rebuild European munitions stocks is paramount, as is the need to remove protectionist trade barriers that stifle the continent’s industrial potential. We are prepared to support and work with you on this.
Developing a robust, capable, and integrated European defense industrial base cannot simply be an aspiration, but an absolute pre-requisite for credible deterrence and defense. This is a historic opportunity for European defense cohesion and again, we are prepared to support in this area.
This will be critical to achieving an end to the war in Ukraine, on terms that support an enduring peace.
As you know, the United States is continuing to deliver weapons and equipment to Ukraine through the PURL initiative. We encourage Europe to use this tool to meet critical needs for Ukraine, and for contributions to continue to flow.
Allow me to conclude by saying:
Europe must step up and accelerate this transition to "NATO 3.0" – not just with words, but with deeds and a fundamental change in attitude. I know many of you are already increasing defense spending and working to grow your industrial capacity. But it is vital that we lean forward even more.
A steady and significant flow of European financial contributions to the PURL initiative would be a welcome sign of this change, but more fundamentally, Europe must build the capacity to fulfill these requirements itself. We will all benefit from a stronger and more coherent European defense industrial base alongside a growing and more vital American one.
If Europe rises to this moment – truly embracing primary responsibility for the defense of the continent in line with our vision of a rebalanced "NATO 3.0" – we will all be stronger and more credible in defending our people and our national interests. This will put our historical transatlantic alliance on stronger and more sustainable footing, and we will all be better for it.
Thank you.