00:00...meetings with President Trump, Secretary Rubio, Secretary Hegseff, of course in many ways...
00:05It is clearly a strategic play in that region. How do you see that playing out? Thank you.
00:10I would argue let's do it step by step, but with speed.
00:14And the step now being taken is for this coalition of now 34 countries who gathered together at the military
00:22level last Tuesday
00:23to start doing the detailed planning for what this Hormuz mission could be.
00:29I think that's step one. If NATO can help, obviously NATO is there.
00:33There's no reason not to be helpful. Obviously we will, if that's helpful.
00:39But I think we have to do it step by step, because also in NATO that requires an agreement between
00:44all the Allies to do that.
00:45And I think here the exact structure is less important than the speed.
00:51Here I would say the speed over perfection. But again, if NATO can play a role, it would be great.
01:06American leadership is absolutely essential if freedom is to be the rule and not the exception.
01:15As Prime Minister of the Netherlands, and now as Secretary General of NATO,
01:27President Trump's commitment to progress reversed more than a generation of stagnation and atrophy by reminding Europe that values must
01:38be backed by hard power.
01:40Hard power provided not only by the United States, but through the collective effort of countries who are part of
01:48the most successful military alliance ever built.
01:53The President drove allies toward a historic decision at NATO summit in The Hague last summer to invest 5%
02:01of GDP into defense.
02:03And this will help to ensure that the NATO of the future is not an alliance in which allies are
02:12unhealthily dependent on the United States and in which the United States knows that it has capable partners who are
02:20ready, willing and able to defend our freedom and security.
02:26And allies are moving quickly to secure the budgets, grow their armed forces, and feel the capabilities we know we
02:33need.
02:34But even with this progress, it is clear we will need more.
02:42Let me be clear, this alliance is not whistling past the graveyard, as you would say in the United States.
02:50Allies recognize, and I recognize, we are in a period of profound change in the transatlantic alliance.
02:58Europe is assuming a greater and fairer share of the task of providing for its conventional defense.
03:05And from that, there will be no going back, and nor should there be.
03:11This is a move from unhealthy codependence to a transatlantic alliance grounded in true partnership.
03:20Let's consider the most recent events.
03:23When it came time to provide the logistical and other support the United States needed in Iran, some allies were
03:31a bit slow, to say the least.
03:34In fairness, they were also a bit surprised.
03:38To maintain the element of surprise for the initial strikes, President Trump opted not to inform allies ahead of time.
03:45And I understand that.
03:47But what I see when I look across Europe today is allies providing a massive amount of support,
03:55basing, logistics, and other measures to ensure the powerful U.S. military succeeds in denying Iran a nuclear weapon.
04:04And degrading its capacity to export chaos.
04:08Nearly without exception, allies are doing everything the United States is asking.
04:14They have heard and are responding to President Trump's requests.
04:19The United Kingdom is leading a coalition of countries that are aligning the military, the political, and the economic tools
04:28that will be required to ensure free passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
04:35In my estimation, Secretary Rubio is spot on when he says that an alliance cannot be a one-way street.
04:43It was not a one-way alliance when U.S., European, and Canadian troops fought and sacrificed shoulder to shoulder
04:52in Afghanistan.
04:53And I am heartened by the knowledge that every day, as we speak, the U.S., European, and Canadian troops
05:01continue to train and deploy in support of our shared security.
05:07I am confident that a stronger Europe and a stronger NATO will not take U.S. leadership for granted.
05:16NATO is changing.
05:18Thanks to American leadership and a collective commitment to ensuring continued freedom and security, NATO is growing stronger.
05:27Thanks to the mindset shift that is happening, I see a true partnership on the transatlantic horizon.
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