Attending the opening day of the Munich Security Conference
today, the Defence Secretary urged attendees to continue
supporting Ukraine with the military aid needed to repel Russia’s
invasion.
During the conference, the Defence Secretary also took part in a
panel discussion on challenges for transatlantic defence and the
nuclear order, in which he stressed the importance of NATO
maintaining its nuclear capability as a deterrent force against
further Russian aggression in Europe.
Defence Secretary, , said:
NATO remains united in the face of threats to our security in the
Euro-Atlantic. Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, and the
global response to it, go to show the importance of our
international alliances and partnerships.
The Munich Security Conference concludes a week of intense
diplomatic activity for the Defence Secretary.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, he represented the UK at a meeting of
NATO defence ministers in Brussels.
Members of the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force met in the Hague,
the Netherlands on Thursday, where they agreed on the need to
continue to accelerate the supply of military aid to Ukraine.
The Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) is a group of like-minded
nations – Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania,
Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom. The nations share
the same purpose, values and a common focus on security and
stability in the JEF core regions of the High North, North
Atlantic and Baltic Sea region.
The JEF provides a responsive, capable, and ready military force
that undertakes integrated activities at sea, on land and in the
air, across northern Europe.
These activities are preventative and proportionate and
demonstrate solidarity, capability, and resolve to stand together
for security and stability in the JEF core regions.
