{"id":2446458,"date":"2019-07-17T21:25:00","date_gmt":"2019-07-18T03:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/?p=309659"},"modified":"2019-07-17T21:25:00","modified_gmt":"2019-07-18T03:25:00","slug":"natos-jens-stoltenberg-talks-about-alliance-russia-to-open-aspen-security-forum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/natos-jens-stoltenberg-talks-about-alliance-russia-to-open-aspen-security-forum\/","title":{"rendered":"NATO\u2019s Jens Stoltenberg talks about alliance, Russia to open Aspen Security Forum"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.8574784651527\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-309659-426\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/07\/nato-atd-071819-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/07\/nato-atd-071819-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times | Jens Stoltenberg, right, the secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, talks with NBC News reporter Courtney Kube as part of the Aspen Security Forum on Wednesday, July 17, 2019, at the Greenwald Pavilion in Aspen. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"2.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"16\">\n<p><strong>Jens Stoltenberg, right, the secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, talks with NBC News reporter Courtney Kube as part of the Aspen Security Forum on Wednesday, July 17, 2019, at the Greenwald Pavilion in Aspen. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/07\/nato-atd-071819-1.jpg\" alt=\"Jens Stoltenberg, right, the secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, talks with NBC News reporter Courtney Kube as part of the Aspen Security Forum on Wednesday, July 17, 2019, at the Greenwald Pavilion in Aspen. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/07\/nato-atd-071819-1-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/07\/nato-atd-071819-1-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times | Jens Stoltenberg, right, the secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, talks with NBC News reporter Courtney Kube (not pictured) as part of the Aspen Security Forum on Wednesday, July 17, 2019, at the Greenwald Pavilion in Aspen. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"2.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"16\">\n<p><strong>Jens Stoltenberg, right, the secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, talks with NBC News reporter Courtney Kube (not pictured) as part of the Aspen Security Forum on Wednesday, July 17, 2019, at the Greenwald Pavilion in Aspen. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/07\/nato-atd-071819-1-1.jpg\" alt=\"Jens Stoltenberg, right, the secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, talks with NBC News reporter Courtney Kube (not pictured) as part of the Aspen Security Forum on Wednesday, July 17, 2019, at the Greenwald Pavilion in Aspen. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/07\/nato-atd-071819-1-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/07\/nato-atd-071819-1-2.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times | NBC News reporter Courtney Kube talks with Jens Stoltenberg (not pictured), the secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, as part of the Aspen Security Forum on Wednesday, July 17, 2019, at the Greenwald Pavilion in Aspen. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"2\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"15\">\n<p><strong>NBC News reporter Courtney Kube talks with Jens Stoltenberg (not pictured), the secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, as part of the Aspen Security Forum on Wednesday, July 17, 2019, at the Greenwald Pavilion in Aspen. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/07\/nato-atd-071819-1-2.jpg\" alt=\"NBC News reporter Courtney Kube talks with Jens Stoltenberg (not pictured), the secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, as part of the Aspen Security Forum on Wednesday, July 17, 2019, at the Greenwald Pavilion in Aspen. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/07\/nato-atd-071819-1-3-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/07\/nato-atd-071819-1-3.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times | Jens Stoltenberg, right, the secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, talks with NBC News reporter Courtney Kube as part of the Aspen Security Forum on Wednesday, July 17, 2019, at the Greenwald Pavilion in Aspen. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"2.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"16\">\n<p><strong>Jens Stoltenberg, right, the secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, talks with NBC News reporter Courtney Kube as part of the Aspen Security Forum on Wednesday, July 17, 2019, at the Greenwald Pavilion in Aspen. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/07\/nato-atd-071819-1-3.jpg\" alt=\"Jens Stoltenberg, right, the secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, talks with NBC News reporter Courtney Kube as part of the Aspen Security Forum on Wednesday, July 17, 2019, at the Greenwald Pavilion in Aspen. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/natos-jens-stoltenberg-talks-about-alliance-russia-to-open-aspen-security-forum\/?#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/natos-jens-stoltenberg-talks-about-alliance-russia-to-open-aspen-security-forum\/?#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">While NATO\u2019s secretary-general touched on Russia, Turkey and Afghanistan during his opening remarks Wednesday at the Aspen Security Forum, Jens Stoltenberg kept coming back to the underlying concept behind the organization he leads.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cYou have to understand: We deter any attempt to attack (the 29 allied countries in NATO),\u201d said Stoltenberg, a former prime minister of Norway. \u201cWe were able to protect West Berlin, not because of the presence of (NATO) forces but because an attack would trigger a whole response (from all 29 allies).\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Asked by moderator and NBC News correspondent Courtney Kube if that collective defense concept \u2014 outlined in Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization\u2019s founding treaty \u2014 remains strong today, Stoltenberg did not hesitate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cYes,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is our intent to stay together. NATO contains 50% of the world\u2019s military might. We are stronger than any other adversary if we stay together.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cDeterrence is working.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Russia and China don\u2019t have the benefit of a similar collective defense, he pointed out.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Article 5 has only been invoked once in the history of NATO \u2014 in defense of the United States after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Collective defense, however, isn\u2019t cheap. Stoltenberg confirmed that NATO members will increase their defense spending by more than $100 billion by the end of 2020, and he gave President Donald Trump credit for demanding other members contribute more.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThe message from Trump is having an impact,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Russia was a main topic in Wednesday\u2019s Security Forum opener.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Kube\u2019s first question to Stoltenberg was about Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw from 1987\u2019s Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty because of alleged Russian violations, and the looming Aug. 2 deadline for the treaty to be declared dead. The treaty banned ground-based nuclear missiles \u2014 those launched from air or sea are not included \u2014 and Stoltenberg said most NATO allies believe Russia has been violating the treaty for years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cAny indications they\u2019re moving toward compliance?\u201d Kube asked.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cNo,\u201d Stoltenberg said immediately, provoking laughter in the Greenwald Pavilion Tent. \u201cThere is no indication that Russia is moving back into compliance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">If the treaty \u2014 which Stoltenberg called \u201cthe cornerstone of arms control\u201d \u2014 falls apart in two weeks and Russia continues to deploy ground-based nuclear missiles capable of reaching European cities in minutes, NATO has options, he said. The alliance would strengthen the already existing European missile defense system and continue to pursue arms control treaties, Stoltenberg said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The secretary-general didn\u2019t want to get too specific about those options because he said he still hoped to prompt Russia into compliance. However, Stoltenberg pointed out that NATO has combat-ready battalions stationed in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland that will respond if those countries are attacked.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Kube then prodded Stoltenberg about whether NATO has air- or sea-based nuclear weapons deployed in Europe for Russian deterrence. Stoltenberg first waxed poetic about NATO\u2019s \u201call for one and one for all\u201d concept, then began talking about Norway\u2019s mountains and skiing and how he\u2019d like to return to ski and hike around Aspen.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cAre you talking about skiing to avoid my question about nuclear weapons in Europe?\u201d Kube asked.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Stoltenberg then admitted that U.S.-owned nuclear weapons, which could be delivered by NATO-member planes, are in Europe.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThat\u2019s no secret,\u201d he said, adding that he doesn\u2019t comment on how many or where they are deployed. \u201cDeterrence must be credible and when NATO is together, he won\u2019t attack.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The challenge, Stoltenberg said, is new threats, like Russian cyber-meddling in Democratic elections.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThose attacks blur the line between peace and war,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Turkey\u2019s recent addition of a sophisticated Russian-made surface-to-air missile system, known as the S-400, is also a problem for NATO, Stoltenberg said. The technology cannot be integrated with other NATO hardware and has prompted U.S. concerns that Russian engineers setting up the Turkish missile system will learn details about the American-made F-35 stealth fighter jet also in Turkey\u2019s arsenal, he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Stoltenberg said he wanted to avoid the current situation and is concerned about Turkey\u2019s decision to acquire the Russian technology.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThat\u2019s not good,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s bad for all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Still, he declined to call Turkey\u2019s move a turn toward Russia and away from NATO. He said Turkey is a \u201ckey ally\u201d in the fight against ISIS and also is talking to Italy, France and the U.S. about buying their missile systems.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThey are contributing to many different NATO missions,\u201d he said. \u201cTurkey as a NATO member is more than the S-400.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">As for Afghanistan, Stoltenberg said he is hopeful that peace talks with the Taliban are fruitful, though it is too early to tell. He said NATO is working closely with U.S. representatives to ensure the investments and gains made in the country are preserved and that Afghanistan doesn\u2019t become a terrorist haven again. Still, the Afghan government and forces will likely continue to need foreign money to operate if U.S. and NATO troops leave the country, Stoltenberg said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\"><a href=\"mailto:jauslander@aspentimes.com\">jauslander@aspentimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/natos-jens-stoltenberg-talks-about-alliance-russia-to-open-aspen-security-forum\/?\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jens Stoltenberg, right, the secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, talks with NBC News reporter Courtney Kube as part of the Aspen Security Forum on Wednesday, July 17, 2019, at the Greenwald Pavilion in Aspen. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times Jens Stoltenberg, right, the secretary general of the North [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2446458","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-21 13:32:13","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2446458","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2446458"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2446458\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2446458"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2446458"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2446458"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}