The central question was whether NATO is strong enough in uncertain times. The minister answered with a resounding yes at the Royal Theatre in The Hague. But Europe really must get to work, he added. Especially now that there are serious questions from the United States regarding Europes contribution to the alliance.

“The burden-sharing within NATO has been out of balance for decades,” Brekelmans acknowledged. “Trump is not the first to point this out. Barack Obama and Joe Biden have done so as well. It is therefore right that Europe takes up the challenge and gets to work. We are doing that and we can do it. And it should be done with more confidence. Europe is not a Calimero in the shadow of great powers. Europe is an economic giant that is 5 times larger than Russia. And with the United Kingdom, Norway, and Ukraine included, our population is 4 times larger.”
 

But there are still differences among each other. The minister pointed out issues such as the varying types of weapon systems that countries work with. There are also important strategic capabilities lacking and a lack of experience with large-scale command operations. “There is therefore work to be done, a lot of work,” he emphasized. The good news is: Europe is awake and the wheels are turning. Hard work is being done on more investments in defense, scaling up the defense industry, smoother regulations, and financing for the joint procurement of equipment.”

Because Russia is not sitting still either. Not only are there daily attacks on Ukrainian targets. The offensive cyber program is also working overtime. And the Netherlands is feeling the effects as well. “We are not at war with Russia, but Russia, in a hybrid form, is at war with us.”

A strong NATO must contribute to deterrence. In a month, many heads of government and defense ministers will come together. As mentioned, the minister hopes for a turning point in history. “If we agree, the NATO summit in The Hague will go down in history as the moment when Europe stood up and took its responsibility. The moment when the geopolitical relationships shifted, Europe was no longer a spectator but a player of significance. I hope that in 10, 20 years we will look back on this summit and say: there, in The Hague, we experienced the turning point.”