For more than 70 years – thisyear we will celebrate the 70th anniversary of D-Day – theUnited States andEurope have fought side by side for freedom, and that is what binds us.Thoseties have grown stronger in the 25 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, inthe 15 yearssince our post-Cold War NATO enlargements began, in the 10 yearssince the EU beganexpanding again. It is important to understand this is morethan just a measure of years; itis a measure of the most productivepartnership in the history of international affairs, nothingless.
Our challenge today is to ensureopportunity, security, and liberty for Americans andEuropeans, but also forpeople all over the world who look to us for that possibility. Ourchallenge isto renew this partnership and to live up to the legacy of the world’sstrongestalliance. The 21st century will demand these commitments from all of us, and Ibelievewe have to rise to this occasion as Americans and Europeans alwayshave, and that’s the onlything that will give meaning to this kind of ameeting and meaning to the legacy that we needto honor in our generation.Thank you. (Applause.)
My pleasure to introduce to youmy friend from the Senate. We are both in different parties,but believe me, weshare a vision and we are really enjoying working together these days.ChuckHagel, the Secretary of Defense. (Applause.)
SECRETARYHAGEL:John, thank you. Thank you very much, and to Ambassador Ischinger,thank youfor once again hosting this conference, an important conference. It’s good tobeback in Munich. As you noted, I have been here many times, and I especiallyappreciate beinghere with my friend and former colleague and now cabinetpartner John Kerry.
I want to also recognize ourUnited States congressional delegation, which I have been partof a number oftimes, led by an unfamiliar face here, John McCain. John, I see you. Thankyou.Sheldon Whitehouse, Senator, thank you for your leadership. And many of thedelegationare individuals who have led on this issue for many years, and youare all quite familiar withmost of the U.S. congressional delegation. So thankyou for your continued leadership andinvolvement.
I also want to recognize ourAmerican Ambassador to Germany John Emerson, who is heresomewhere, for hiswork and his efforts. And it is not easy, as we all know, for an ambassadorinany country at any time, but Ambassador Emerson has done a tremendous job andwe verymuch appreciate his good work and his leadership as well. (Applause.)
In preparing for these remarks, Iwas looking through the memoirs of Henry Stimson, whoover a long and distinguishedcareer held both my job – actually, he held my job when it wasSecretary ofWar, and he held it twice. He also held John Kerry’s job, Secretary of State.Thebook I thumbed through contained a handwritten letter from McGeorge Bundy.Many of youknow – knew McGeorge Bundy, worked with McGeorge Bundy, andcertainly, everyone knowswho he was. He helped in this particular case HenryStimson write his memoirs, and that bookwas published in 1952.
In Bundy’s letter to an admirer,Bundy described Stimson’s recollections of life as a pictureof history worthgoing on with, whatever the ups and downs. I recall these words here inMunichthis morning because this conference is itself a picture of history, thehistory of thetransatlantic partnership. And that history is very much worthgoing on with. That’s why we’recelebrating this gathering’s 50th anniversary.
The transatlantic partnership hasbeen successful because of the judicious use ofdiplomacy and defense. Over thelast year, John and I have both worked to restore balance,balance to therelationship between American defense and diplomacy. With the UnitedStatesmoving off a 13-year war footing, it’s clear to us, it’s very clear toPresident Obama thatour future requires a renewed and enhanced era ofpartnership with our friends and allies,especially here in Europe.
As this panel acknowledges, weneed what John just described and as Ambassador Ischingerhas noted, atransatlantic renaissance. The foundation of our collective securityrelationshipwith Europe has always been cooperation against common threats.Throughout most of the20th century, these common threats were concentrated inand around Europe, but today themost persistent and pressing securitychallenges to Europe and the United States are global.They emanate frompolitical instability and violent extremism in the Middle East andNorthAfrica, dangerous non-state actors, rogue nations such as North Korea, cyberwarfare,demographic changes, economic disparity, poverty, and hunger.
And as we confront these threats,nations such as China and Russia are rapidly modernizingtheir militaries andglobal defense industries, challenging our technological edge indefensepartnerships around the world. The world will continue to grow morecomplicated,interconnected, and in many cases more combustible. The challenges andchoicesbefore us will demand leadership that reaches into the future without stumblingover thepresent. Meeting this challenge of change will not be easy, but wemust do so and we must doso together. As our strategy in defense investmentswill make clear, the U.S. sees Europe asits indispensable partner inaddressing these threats and challenges, as well as addressingnewopportunities.
The centerpiece of ourtransatlantic defense partnership will continue to be NATO, themilitaryalliance that has been called the greatest peace movement in history. InAfghanistan,NATO-led forces are doing extraordinary work to help the Afghanpeople by strengthening theAfghan army and police so that they can assumeresponsibility for their nation’s security.European nations have maintainedremarkable cohesion and commitment in the face ofsacrifice, uncertainty, andchallenges in Afghanistan.