NATO Deputy Secretary General discusses security through deterrence

1 October 2019

NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller recently gave a keynote speech at an event in Berlin co-hosted by RAND Europe and the German Marshall Fund, titled “Security Through Deterrence: A Need for New Vision”. Reflecting on changing circumstances in the security environment, as well as the potential impacts of new technologies on defence, Gottemoeller spoke of the need for NATO to remain adaptable.

“In the last five years, our security situation has changed significantly.” said Gottemoeller, “Russia’s aggressive actions, the persistence of violent extremism, the emergence of new technologies with unpredictable military effect – they are all having a significant impact … I think our deterrence policy must continue to adapt in a flexible way to a changing circumstance, just like it always has.”

Following the keynote, Gottemoeller was joined by RAND Europe’s latest council member and former Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ana Palacio. Adding to the discussion, Palacio emphasised the need for resilience in security, both at a governmental and societal level.

“Resilience has to involve the whole society,” Palacio said, “Today, in order to be effective in deterrence, we need to have a very committed and broad approach, including society at large.”

The event was attended by RAND Europe’s council of advisors, as well as members of the German Bundestag and others interested in defence, who offered a number of interesting questions to the panel.