Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
Speaking during NATO's 2024 Cyber Defense Pledge conference in The Hague, Netherlands, NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Giwana said allies "must be big in ambition" on cyber defence, and called for a "new mindset". To enhance our resilience against cyber threats.
A statement from NATO headquarters in Brussels quoted Geoana as saying: “Our adversaries are increasingly defying international norms and using cyber and hybrid operations against us,” stressing that “there is no peace in cyberspace.” The Cyber Defense Pledge, established in 2016, helps strengthen allies' cyber defenses. They also help strengthen national networks and infrastructure, enhancing NATO's collective resilience to cyber threats. Following the 2023 Vilnius summit, allies took further steps to develop a cyber “maturity model” to help focus their resources more efficiently.
Looking to the future, during the conference held last weekend, the Deputy Secretary-General of NATO stressed the importance of strengthening civil-military cooperation at all times, including through close cooperation with the technology industry. He pointed out that this will be the focus of the upcoming Washington summit. He welcomed the participation of eighteen NATO partner countries for the first time in the Cyber Defense Pledge Conference. “Internet is something that our partners desperately demand from allies,” the Deputy Secretary-General said. “I encourage all allies to be open to these requests, and to help us all become stronger and more resilient in cyberspace.”
The Netherlands and Romania co-hosted NATO's 2024 Cyber Defense Pledge Conference. Following his speech, the Deputy Secretary-General met with the Dutch Defense Minister, Kasia Ollongren, and students from Leiden University to discuss NATO's agenda for the Washington Summit.
Before that, Deputy Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Mircea Gianna, praised Germany's role as an ally that makes NATO stronger, which is what the alliance needs in current times.
This came during a speech he delivered at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in the German capital, Berlin, during a discussion entitled “Looking to the Future... NATO in its Seventy-fifth Year,” as part of the “Twelfth Adenauer Conference... Germany’s Role in International Security Policy.”
Giwana said - according to a NATO statement - “We need to be more flexible and better prepared to confront and respond to hostile attacks,” noting that NATO has become stronger than ever, and despite this, the current times can be described as “ A comprehensive earthquake.
He added that NATO has more partners around the world, including countries, organizations and companies, as it works to deepen cooperation with many of them, stressing the importance of enhancing flexibility and investing in innovation, especially in light of the new security landscape in Europe that is currently under formation.
Giwana expressed his thanks to the Konrad Adenauer Foundation for its support in promoting democratic values. He also met with parliamentarians in the German Bundestag to plan the upcoming NATO summit next July.