北約軍事委員會在里加舉行年會

Mr. President, dear colleagues, it's an honor to open this NATO Military Committee Conference here in Riga. The city hall's history reminds us that freedom is never given, only safeguarded. And it is an even greater privilege to have with us His Excellency the President of the Republic of Latvia, Edgar Rinkiewicz. Mr. President, your presence here is a true honor for the NATO Military Committee. You remind us that what we discuss in this room is not abstract. It concerns the security of our nation, the safety of our people, and the very fabric of our way of life. We meet at a historic moment. Russia's brutal war aggression against Ukraine continues to rage. New technologies are transforming the very character of warfare. And the rules-based international order that has preserved our peace is under direct and deliberate challenge. As Latvians say, he who is ready is never taken by surprise. And Latvia knows what this means. From its struggle for independence to its front-line role in the alliance today, Latvia embodies resilience. History also warns us. This week marked a significant anniversary. On 25 September 1939, Soviet bomber and reconnaissance aircraft violated the airspace of all three Baltic states, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. Those incursions were more than mere provocation. They were the opening signal of Moscow determination to impose its will. The moment should resonate deeply with us today. Twice in the space of two weeks, the North Atlantic Council has met under Article 4. Multiple allies, including Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, and Romania, have experienced airspace violation by Russia. These acts are escalatory reckless and endanger lives. And Russia bears full responsibility for these actions. Today, I express full and unequivocal solidarity with all allies whose airspace has been breached. The alliance response has been robust and will only continue to strengthen. On 12 September, Eastern Sentry was launched to bolster NATO's posture along the eastern flank. And at the Hague Summit, our minister reaffirmed this resolve, committing 5% of the defence budget to new capabilities. Ladies and gentlemen, this gathering of the chiefs of defence of each NATO ally together in the Baltic region is a testament to our strength and solidarity. Mr. President, I would like now to give you the floor for your opening remarks. Thank you very much. Thank you, Chair, Admiral, Generals, Admirals, distinguished members of the military committee. It is my real pleasure to welcome all of you here in Latvia for your NATO's military committee conference. This is actually the first meeting of the senior NATO military leadership after the NATO Summit in the Hague. It was a decisive shift in alliance's resolve to make NATO stronger, to make the alliance more capable and more lethal by investing 5% of GDP in defence. At that summit, we all reaffirmed our commitment to NATO, to the strongest alliance in history, and also we reaffirmed our commitment to the transatlantic bond. But I'm sure that we all acknowledge that this is also a test case for Europe's ability to step up for allies each individually and also for Europe as a whole to shoulder a fair share of defence expenditure. I think that we can all say that it is in our interest to fill NATO's new generation of defence plans with required forces and capabilities. As I've said yesterday when I was hosting you in the Riga Castle, and I want to repeat that also here today, this is not so much about Excel sheets, it's not about political slogans, but it's about real capabilities that each and every army, each and every navy, each and every air force need currently to counter all the emerging threats and also traditional threats. From our perspective, the threat assessment is clear. Russia poses a long-term threat to Euro-Atlantic security. Terrorism remains a persistent threat. Europe and the alliance is being tested in every way possible. So the task is to equip our forces for the threats and challenges of today and those of tomorrow. And we must do that across all domains. To uphold the fast technological advances and to mobilize our defence industries. And we also know that the best way how to defend our countries is a deterrence. But that deterrence must work. Admirals, generals, you can be assured that Latvia continues to invest all our efforts in our own defence capability development. We are committed to invest 5% of GDP in defence already very soon. As a direct neighbour to Russia and Belarus, we know our responsibility to strengthen the external border of NATO and the European Union. This includes countering the daily illegal migration pressure as part of Russia's and Belarusian hybrid tactics. That has amounted already to more than 10,000 deterred migrants on our border this year alone. Baltic Defence Line is aimed at enhancing the military infrastructure along the three Baltic states. We are advancing our host nation support for allied troops. I just want to express one more time our profound gratitude to all allies present with their forces and capabilities in the Multinational Division North and NATO's Multinational Brigade in Latvia. Under the very capable leadership of Canada, brigade has become fully operational and combat ready. Let me also say that another mission that NATO has launched, the Baltic Sentry, has proved its effectiveness in concerning Russia's shadow fleet activities. Chair, commanders, members of the military committee. The immediate priority today is clearly air defence. As Admiral already noted, Russia continues a pattern of provocations, most recently recklessly violating the airspace of Poland and Estonia. And here I really want to thank and welcome NATO's immediate response commencing Eastern Sentry. This serves as a tangible example of NATO's decisive response. The intensity of Russia's drone attacks against Ukraine has created incidents in several allied countries, among them also here in Latvia. This is the reality we face. This is, to some extent, not anymore even new reality. The response should continue to be robust. Transforming Baltic air policing to a Baltic air defence mission with respective rules of engagement should be a priority. In addition, ensuring we collectively make the best use of technological advancement to counter drone systems. There is actually a lot we can learn from Ukraine in this regard. Building our own defence capabilities goes hand in hand with our continued support for Ukraine. Our military support for Ukraine is 0.25% of GDP per year. And we have added to this a further commitment of 5 million euros to NATO's prioritised Ukraine requirement list, our plural initiative to buy weapons from the United States to Ukraine. I think that we should continue to do our utmost to help Ukraine. To conclude, let me underscore the resolve and unity of NATO as our stronghold. Russia should be in no doubt that NATO and allies will employ, in accordance with international law, all necessary military and non-military tools to defend ourselves and to deter all threats from all directions. A clear deterrence message to Russia and reassurance to our own societies. Thank you. Thank you, Mr President. I now give the floor to General Budanz. Caspar, you have the floor. Thank you, Mr Chair. Excellent Sister President. Admirals, Generals, dear colleagues. It's a great honour for myself and our armed forces to welcome you here in Riga for the NATO Military Committee Conference, as it was told the first time here in Riga in this format. This gathering comes at a decisive moment for the Alliance as we meet on NATO's eastern flank to reaffirm the unity, cohesion and resilience that forms the foundation of the Euro-Atlantic security. Europe today faces hostilities that strike at the heart of our stability and the very principles upon which NATO was founded. Russia's war against Ukraine has become a testing ground for modern warfare, where conventional force is fused with cyber attacks, disinformation and new technologies, such as mentioned drones and electronic warfare. But Ukraine is not only defending its sovereignty, it is defending the credibility of the international order. For us, supporting Ukraine is both a moral duty and a strategic necessity. Russian aggression extends beyond Ukraine It's part of a broader campaign against our continent and its impact is felt globally, from energy blackmail and economic coercion to attempts to reshape international norms in Europe, in Africa and beyond. We are witnessing 360-degree threats that encompass airspace intrusions, disinformation campaigns, cyber attacks and the manipulation of democratic institutions. These actions, of course, are designed to sow division, undermine our trust in our societies and in us and weaken the cohesion of NATO and the EU. Therefore, we must see Ukraine not as a final objective of this aggression but as a front line of a contest that spans regions and domains. But the Alliance has responded with determination. The recent airspace violations reminded us that our security cannot be taken for granted. NATO's swift activation of earlier of Baltic Sentry and now Eastern Sentry demonstrated our capacity to coordinate, respond decisively to provocations along our eastern borders. This is deterrence in action and it sends a message far beyond Europe. But deterrence requires constant efforts. NATO's collective defense is built on the strength of every ally, sharing both the framework and the responsibilities. Each ally acts as a pillar in upholding the collective responsibility for our security. We must each do our part. And Latvia is acting with urgency. We are investing in layered air defense, coastal defense, drones and counter drone systems, new infantry fighting vehicles, artillery and logistics. The development of new training range, Celia, soon to be one of the largest in Europe, will significantly expand our readiness and interoperability with allies. Our priorities in years to come will continue to be ensuring credible deterrence and strengthening our defense, including increasing allied presence, improvement on our own capabilities, development of infrastructure and increasing personnel. Although military strength is a corner of our security, it should be complemented by resilience of our societies. The nature of conflict is evolving and resilience has become critical as a firepower. This is not only about Latvia. It's about the alliance as a whole. We must strengthen our societies against disinformation, cyber disruptions and coercion by ensuring that our economies and institutions remain secure. Colleagues, I'm confident that the discussions here in Riga will sharpen our shared vision of our future. They will reaffirm our commitment to modernization, sustained investment and an alliance that remains cohesive, agile and ready for the challenges of tomorrow. These are not optional ambitions. They are imperatives if we are to protect our nations, our partners and the values that unite us. Thank you very much. Thank you, Chair. President Derinkovic, General Pudenz, thank you for your inspiring words. Today, our 32 allies are collectively reinforcing our capabilities and strengthening our defense posture including integrated air and missile defenses. I have no doubt that every ally around this table's commitment to Article 5 is Ironclad. Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen, that is what this military committee represents. Clear, candid military advice forged collectively and given without hesitation. Mr. President, esteemed colleagues, let us seize this day in Riga not only to discuss but to strengthen the resolve that binds our alliance for our nations, for our people and for those who will inherit the peace, freedom and unity we defend today and always. But before we continue, it is our sacred duty that we pause now and dedicate a new moment to recognize the service of all men and women in uniform who relentlessly defend our freedom and share our values. Especially in these challenging times, they are the spearhead of our deterrence. Thanks to their dedication, every square centimeter of the Euro-Atlantic region remains protected today as it has been for 76 years. On behalf of the NATO military committee, I wish to acknowledge their unwavering commitment, steadfast dedication and remarkable courage in safeguarding our citizens. In particular, our thoughts are with those who have sacrificed their lives or sustained injuries during their service. Let us take a solemn moment to honor them and show our respect for their sacrifice. They will never be forgotten. Please let us rise. This concludes the public portion of our deliberations. At the end of today's discussion, General Pudenz and I will brief the media on the outcome of this meeting. I kindly ask the media to leave the room. Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. Welcome to this press conference following the military-Chode meeting conference here in Riga. My name is Giovanni Gallopra. I'm the public affairs adviser of the chairman of the NATO military committee. And we will have the chair of the military committee followed by the Latvian Chode addressing you with initial statement and then we will open the floor for question and answer. Please switch off your mobile and when then addressing for questions, please remember to say your name and your agency. Thank you very much. The floor to the chairman. Good afternoon. Thank you for being here and many thanks to our host, the beautiful Riga for its warm hospitality starting by the one of my dear friend, Major General Pudenz, Chief of Defense Latvia. Dear Kaspar, this successful military committee conference could have not been held at a better time or place. Our presence here in the Baltics is an unmistakable signal of NATO's cohesion and solidarity toward our fellow allies in the eastern flank. We stand by your side day and night. It is also vivid proof of our full resolve against those who want to challenge us or even divide us. Let me commend once again the allied forces and SACEUR for their swift interception and action during the recent continued violation of our airspace. Russian aircraft and drones on top of the already existing measures will now find the resolute response of the newly established and already operational eastern sentry activity, which further strengthen NATO's ability to react quickly and decisively against this kind of reckless behavior. These events illustrate our readiness to swiftly reinforce any ally that comes under threat. Let me be even more clear. Every threat to NATO's air, land and sea space will be dealt with a resolute and proportionate response. We are ready. There must be no doubt about it. Our Supreme Allied Commander has all the tools he needs and we do not seek confrontation. But we will not hesitate to undertake any action deemed necessary for our collective defense. 45, our eastern flank complements also with our unwavering support for Ukraine. Let me take this opportunity to praise once more the professionalism and determination of the brave soldiers of Ukraine as well as the whole population that is supporting and giving legitimate rights to defend their land. Their fight is our fight. And together with them we are also learning lessons that are helping a number of allies improving our deterrence, focusing urgent investment in defense, starting from new technologies, but also sensors, weapons, kinetic and non-kinetic tools. Because now and not later is the moment to reflect on how much the alliance has achieved or must achieve without delay. This year, all allies are expected to meet or exceed the pre-summit target of investing at last 2% of GDP in defense. But the historic decision taken by allied leaders at the summit in The Hague go even further. There is now a clear commitment to invest 5% of GDP annually on core defense requirements and defense and security-related investment by 2035. Today, the NATO military committee made of the highest military authorities in NATO and the Allies discussed the way forward on this and other summit declarations. Let me share a few highlights. In relation to the implementation of the summit decisions, we confirm that we stand at the crucial point of the enablement path, starting from our action plan to integrate the new defense investment commitment into our regional plans. The good news is that results are already being delivered. The ongoing progress is placing NATO Allies in the optimal position to better deter and defend against the Alliance's main and future threats in a multi-domain environment. Furthermore, we concur that the expansion of our transatlantic defense industrial cooperation will help harness emerging technology and promote innovation. We also reiterated our priority about protecting our critical infrastructure and defending our network against destabilizing and hybrid activities, including the cyber attacks targeting airports as we are continuously experiencing. That said, it is paramount to stress that these, among others, are challenges the military cannot tackle in isolation. It is mandatory that we bolster our civil preparedness to improve the individual and collective capacity to better respond and recover from potential shock and disruptions. This is what we call a whole-of-society approach to security based on a shared, solid culture of defense. Ladies and gentlemen, I conclude by saying that this has been, without doubt, a momentous conference. Many takeaways and action items all linked by one leitmotif. Stronger together, now. And let me thank again all the Allied Chiefs of Defense, Sachur and Sack, who make sure our unity remains our biggest strength. Caspar, Rada, the floor is yours. Thank you, Admiral. Thank you for your kind words and thoughtful words and particularly for guiding today's discussions with focus and purpose. It was both an honor and a privilege for our armed forces of Latvia to host this year's NATO Military Committee Conference here in Riga. Your presence here is not only our shared commitment to serve collective security, but also the unity of our alliance. The Russian Federation has been deliberately violating NATO airspace over the past few weeks. Despite being concerning, these actions are neither new nor isolated. They are part of a wider campaign of intimidation and aggression that seeks to destabilize the region, test our unity and challenge the credibility of deterrence. To be clear, NATO and the NATO Latvia are prepared to defend every single centimeter of NATO territory. Our national and regional defense plans are structured around the principle of fight tonight, now, as the Chairman mentioned. While we hope for peace, we prepare for war, because preparation is the surest path to readiness. To that end, Latvia has made substantial progress toward strengthening our military capabilities. We have ongoing procurements and deliveries of advanced medium-range air defense system, coastal defense missiles and modern rocket artillery. These additions mark a decisive step towards enhancing both our national defense and our contributions to the collective strength of the alliance. Moreover, Latvia has positioned itself as one of the frontrunners in the development and integration of autonomous systems and drone technologies. In today's rapidly evolving battle space, these tools are no longer optional. They serve as a critical enablers of combined arms operations, offering enhanced situation awareness, precision engagement and operational flexibility. We are also in the process of implementing a layered air defense system, a comprehensive network designed to detect, track and neutralize hostile multiple forms of detection and interception, creating a robust shield over our territory and our people. Our decisions are grounded in reality. We know that these actions work, because this is precisely what Ukraine has done in their heroic defense against Russian occupation. Ukraine's resilience, innovation and tactical adaptation has inspired many of us. Latvia will continue to support Ukraine and its defenders in their just and sovereign struggle. As you all heard from Chairman, Russia continues to actively challenge the peace and security of the Euro-Atlantic area and beyond. Its provocations, whether it's through violations of airspace, cyberattacks or disinformation campaigns are all deliberate tests of our resolve. Such provocations demand a swift, coordinated and strategic response. We must continue to strengthen our defense capabilities across land, sea and air. The credibility of our deterrence lies in our readiness to act decisively across the full spectrum of threats. In response, NATO Eastern Sentry is testament to our collective understanding of these threats and our willingness to meet them head-on. It is a framework that enhances our defensive posture, deepens our cooperation among allies and sends a clear signal to any adversary that NATO stands united. In concluding, I extend my sincere gratitude to every participant into today's discussion. This conference is a reaffirmation of our common purpose, a platform for strategic alignment and a symbol of steadfast determination to defend the peace and prosperity of our nation. Thank you. Admiral General, thank you very much. And now the floor is open for questions. Yes, please. Your name and agency, please. Aaron Aglitis, Bloomberg News. Question to the Admiral. Given the airspace violations we've seen in Eastern Europe, should we expect the air policing mission to change to an air defense mission in the Baltic States? Well, considering that these events are pretty recent, I mean, all of them are still going into investigation. And, of course, we need also to at the fundamental point, which is attribution of what happened. It's still, I would say, it's still premature to try to assess and go so further. I mean, this could be an option depending on what will be the final assessment on what is trying to be investigated right now. I would say that this could be one of the options, but not the option. Patrick. Thanks, Patrick Tucker from Defense One. Are there... As a result of today's meetings and previous discussions, can you go into any details about additional capabilities that might come from elsewhere, other countries, here to the eastern flank to aid in an air defense or air policing mission as part of Eastern Sentry? Can you say that again? What are the... Can you speak to any additional capabilities, pieces of equipment, jets, etc., that might come from other NATO members here to the eastern flank as part of Eastern Sentry or a broader air policing or air defense mission? Well, just consider Eastern Sentry is just a brand-new operation which is pretty much following the Baltic Sentry architecture. It is aimed to be, first of all, to coordinate all the air policing mission that we are having in this area, so to be coordination operation first, and then it will aim to have, I mean, all the eastern and northern flank covered, I mean, protected, with the principle characteristic to be flexible, so to have the whole architecture ready in place and just be able to move wherever it is necessary this or that kind of asset. And again, it's a multi-domain operation, which is involving land and air activities, and if we go up further to north, it could be also maritime activities too, just totally integrated in protecting, let's say, 3,500 kilometers of borderline, and that's basically it. It is a growing activity right now. We will have more assets compared to what we had before, but again, the idea is this one, to have flexibility and capability to just move the position of all the assets in a more appropriate way wherever it is necessary, but covering the whole front line. Let's call it this way. I'll have a follow-up after. Yes, my name is Yuris Kaja. I represent the Spanish news agency EFI. And I have two questions. One I think is rather simple. The other one may be a bit difficult. So you take the other one. You take the simple one. The media reporting that Poland is sort of saying that we will take down any undesirable flying objects in our territory. We're not going to ask NATO for permission. Does NATO have a unified protocol or policy on rules of engagement in such situations? And did you discuss that? That is my sort of first question. The difficult question is what you have here, you have all of the top military commanders in NATO in one place, and that happens a couple of times a year, as I understand it, and that's nothing unusual. Next week, the entire military command, global military command structure of the United States is going to gather in one military base in Virginia, I believe. And nobody really knows what that's all about. Are you in some way a bit concerned or do you know anything about it or worried? I mean, what's going to happen? I'm sorry. Worry about that? What? I'm sorry. About the meeting of all of the top American commanders in Quantico, Virginia, next week that I believe he prefers to be called the Secretary of War has summoned to the U.S. from all over the world. I mean, including probably some of the gentlemen and ladies who are here. Yeah. Okay. First question is about ROEs, I mean, rules of engagement. I mean, NATO has rules of engagement. NATO is, I mean, SACEUR, which is the Supreme Allied Commander, has all the tools to face any kind of threat that can happen. I mean, and the reaction, any kind of reaction is judged upon, I mean, what kind of threat is posed. I mean, could be interception, could be just accompany them out of the space, which is something which has been pretty common and happened pretty often. And as far as I remember when I was charged, again, it was something that happened, some airspace violation and then intercept and then just lead them out of our airspace. And that's one action. But again, if they pose a danger, a threat to the alliance, I mean, SACEUR has the whole availability of a proportionate response to take. So, I mean, as far as ROE, we are set and ROE are kind of a living tool that can evolve as far as the threat is changing in getting, I mean, more, more, let's say, reactive or less reactive depending on how is the threat and what we assess the threat is. And the assessment goes up to the pilot, for example. Just let me take, for example, a drone. Whenever they decide to shut it down with the appropriate chain of clearance, they also, for example, take into consideration what is down, what the debris could cause. It's just part of the process of decision making, which goes from the Supreme Allied Commander up to the pilot in flight. That's basically it. As far as the renewal, well, it's kind of new. As far as my 49 years of service, I have never seen that before. But it's probably something that a message that the Secretary of Defense will convey to the top brass, and we will know about that right after it happens. But it's unusual, of course, never done before as far as I remember. But it is in his prerogatives, in his responsibility and authority to do this. We'll see. Yep. OK, yep. Thank you. Patrick Tucker again with Defense One. Understanding that this is not yet a policy decision that has been announced or perhaps even made, but among the NATO military committee, is there a plan, a known plan among all of the NATO members in the event that the United States were to draw down forces that are stationed in Europe? This is something that has been discussed a lot. First of all, we have in different, multiple situation guarantee that U.S. cares about NATO and they will not leave NATO alone. But NATO is a military alliance, a defensive political military alliance. Let's assume that one of the allies, the bigger one, needs to reorient some of his energies from some other direction in which he suppose that threat is coming. First of all, the further away you intercept the crisis, the better it is for the alliance, of course. So let's assume that it is from the Indo-Pacific, OK. And so we will witness a partial disengagement not to leave NATO alone, to just face other threats, which have impact on NATO too, by the way, with the connection we do have on today's geopolitical situation. So nothing wrong. I mean, the alliance, if it is a mature and strong alliance like we are after 76 years, we are going to fill the gap and just reshuffle everything and just make it happen. The thing is that and if it will happen, it will be in a coordinated way. I mean, and we will do that together just to rebalance everything in the most efficient and effective way. But that's normal for an alliance. And if that's going to happen, I mean, we are going to work it out and face it like a big man. So you know how each NATO member knows how they would present new capabilities and work to fill that gap in the event that there were impartial but still participatory... Yeah, we will be able to handle that up to the point in which if this will be done smoothly and coordinated, that's part of the game and we will face it and solve it. That's what the Lithuanian general... The NATO Center for Strategic Excellence is here in Riga and works on information campaigns. Can you comment at all on what you are anticipating in terms of adversarial disinformation particularly in the coming months and particularly around the Moldovan election or just here across the Baltic states in general? The disinformation mean? Disinformation, yes. Yeah. It's something... OK. It's fine with me. No, no, no. Either of you, please. I know for me but you will have a chance to comment. But I think this is something not new in this area and this is something I addressed in my introductory notes that attempts to disinformation and bringing some uncertainty into our society, particularly dividing our society from us, from institutions, state institutions, probably undermining our capabilities, something we've seen years already along. Of course, it sometimes peaks up and downs depending on situations or current events, particularly if we are announcing some new support to Ukraine or some new initiatives we might see some increase in these activities, particularly focusing business. It's a cheap way how to achieve some effects and we can expect that it will continue. But this is something we have been paid a lot of attention. This center, for example, is for this that we can timely monitor identify these potential risks, prepare contingency plans, how to tackle them, where we should react, where we probably just ignore these messages, but mainly to safeguard our unity, our cohesion, because this is what disinformation campaigns is, to sow the division between us. These boundaries what is on the maps between our countries in our legislations, in our traditions is the most vulnerable places. But through the organization, through planning, we dissolving these boundaries into our military operations, but also our societies needs to be much more integrated. I think we spoke also a lot about resilience of our societies. And this is one part, being resilient against disinformation. And that's what we need to train all into this area. We have time for... Yes, please, in the back. I have a question. It's about the European Union wall of drones idea. Is it wise for the European Union to undertake a project like this, the drone wall? Or should it be a project of NATO? And more generally, what is needed to protect Europe from drones,from drone incursions? We are working on counter-US evolution with our Supreme Allied Commander for transformation in Norfolk. Going through all the availability and all the possibility that we can have to face this kind of threat. Of course, we have been doing our job with F-35, with F-18 and with something else. But, you know, of course, we are striving for something which is, I mean, balanced compared to the threat and cost-effective. And the wall drone, I'm not very familiar with that, but we are working within the alliance and with the partners and the European Union is one of the partners. So the study we are doing, I mean, the study of the Supreme Allied Commander for transformation is doing to give us, to give the alliance a reliable, affordable, effective system is taking into consideration also European Union. Also because consider that European Union has a pretty good leverage and grasp on the industry, on European industry. So that could be a key point in having everybody involved in finding this kind of solution. So basically, we are working, they are working, and I think we will find a solution which will be beneficial for all of us. I mean, also because you could take into consideration that our eastern, the NATO eastern flank is pretty much the same as the European Union eastern flank. I mean, we are going to, we are going to have a beneficial effect together. Do you have another question? Please. My question is to Major General Pudanz. The media have been reporting, we reported at first already in June, and now the Daily Telegraph picked it up, is that the Estonians are willing to have nuclear capable F-35s stationed there. Does, do you as the head of the armed forces have a position on whether that would be a good thing to also have nuclear capable aircraft stationed in Latvia? All our capabilities that we are developing is very much focused on being able to host allied troops wherever it's needed in our defense plans or deterrence requirements. Our capability stands there that it is available also for this type of jets being landed here. I think it will bring, of course, quite credible and robust deterrence signal and reassuring signal for our societies. Tactically we still base our, or operationally base our advice, collectively made advice on seeing where these kind of, kind of assets to be deployed, but from the perspective of reassurance or signaling, that was one of topics over these last couple weeks and also previously when we are most voicely advocated for increasing our air policing options and increasing our deterrence and, of course, eastern centuries, something we will have these assets deployed in the region and will be ready to host. Either it's nuclear capable or others, it's multi-role. It's most what we need here to demonstrate our resolve. Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much for attending this press conference. Please conclude this meeting and see you soon. Thank you very much. Thank you.