Admiral Giuseppe CAVO DRAGONE - NATO CMC

“We all live under the same sky, but we don’t all have the same horizon,” said Konrad Adenauer. That was the heart of my message at the @KASonline Global Security Forum: #Partnerships widen our horizons and make us all safer and stronger. Every visit I make to our partners confirms that security is interconnected. A disruption at a distant maritime chokepoint or in a fragile supply chain can be felt at home. Our partners know this, and they ask for consistency, mutual respect and cooperation that reflects their priorities. They judge us by the commitments we keep, not the promises we make. Three reflections from my closing address: 🔹 Trust must be built before a crisis. NATO and the EU are infrastructures of trust, built on decades of cooperation, and that trust shows in forces that communicate, train and operate together. Interoperability cannot be improvised in an emergency, which is why NATO–EU complementarity matters: reinforcing each other, avoiding duplication and making the best use of our resources. 🔹 Partnership works both ways. Ukraine is not only receiving support; it is a partner teaching us a great deal about drones, electronic warfare and resilience. Across our network, partners bring regional expertise, capabilities and industrial strength that directly contribute to our security. We must listen as much as we speak. 🔹 Results count more than formats. Partnerships should deliver capabilities, not just communiqués. Success is measured by what we achieve together, from forces that operate seamlessly to more resilient defence supply chains, not by the number of agreements signed. Our Allies and partners are our greatest competitive advantage, as long as we nurture those relationships and never take them for granted. Investing in partnerships is investing in our own security. Thank you to the Foundation for the invitation and for bringing together voices from across the globe. #NATO #Partnerships #Security #NATOEU

**4 novembre, Giornata dell'Unità Nazionale e delle Forze Armate.** Facciamo nostre le parole del Presidente della Repubblica @Quirinale. Nell'anno degli ottant'anni della Repubblica, questa Giornata ha un significato particolare. Come ricorda il Presidente del Consiglio @GiorgiaMeloni, il coraggio di chi serve l'Italia non è mai scontato. E grazie al Ministro della Difesa @GuidoCrosetto per la vicinanza costante alle donne e agli uomini della Difesa. Esattamente cinquant'anni fa, nel 1976, entravamo all'Accademia Navale di Livorno. In mezzo secolo abbiamo visto cambiare tutto: le minacce, le tecnologie e il modo stesso di proteggere un Paese. Una cosa però non è mai cambiata: la forza di una Nazione sta nelle persone. Oggi la NATO e l'Europa lavorano insieme e si trasformano insieme. Un'Europa più forte non è un'alternativa all'Alleanza: è un'Alleanza più forte. Sicurezza e difesa vanno ormai di pari passo. Riguardano le reti, le infrastrutture e la tenuta delle nostre società, e quindi ogni cittadino, che ne diventa parte attiva. In questo quadro le Forze Armate restano la spina dorsale della nostra difesa. La Difesa è fatta di capacità, certo, ma soprattutto di donne e uomini che svolgono il loro dovere ogni giorno con abnegazione, in Italia e nelle missioni internazionali, spesso lontano da casa. Il nostro primo pensiero va a chi, per senso della Patria e per dovere verso la Nazione, ha dato tutto, fino alla propria vita. Il loro sacrificio non sarà dimenticato. Con loro ricordiamo chi ogni giorno sceglie di servire, con rinunce che spesso non si vedono. Ricordiamo anche le loro famiglie, che vivono questo servizio accanto a loro con impegno, dedizione e amor di patria. A tutti loro va la nostra gratitudine. Il 4 novembre 1918 ci ricorda che l'unità di un Paese si conquista con il sacrificio. A noi spetta il compito di custodirla, ogni giorno. Viva le Forze Armate, viva l'Italia! 🇮🇹

Honoured to deliver the keynote at the 25th #BerlinSecurityConference. My message was clear: Europe and NATO must stand together against multipolar threats, which come from several centres of power at once and reinforce one another. Today is 4 November, a date that marks both the Alexanderplatz demonstration of 1989 and Italy's National Unity and Armed Forces Day. Both remind us that peace is never a gift of history. It is won by the courage of the people and defended by the strength of those in uniform. 🔹 Our adversaries cooperate fast, but a partnership without trust lasts only as long as the interest behind it. Our task is to remain the partnership that does not break. 🔹 NATO and the EU share one set of forces and one set of taxpayers. We must never build two of everything. 🔹 NATO 3.0 is not a NATO with less America. It is a NATO with more Europe and Canada, and the European pillar is a load-bearing wall of the same house. 🔹 Investing 5% of GDP in defence and security is not a number for accountants. It is the price of credibility. Yesterday, President @ZelenskyyUa thanked Allies for their continued support and called on us to keep sustaining Kyiv's fight, because it is our fight too. We will continue to answer that call with determination. 🇺🇦 #SlavaUkraïni I then joined the high-level debate "Europe and NATO: Together Strong", moderated by @MAStrackZi, together with U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker, #EEAS Deputy Secretary General David Cvach, Portuguese Minister of National Defence Nuno Melo, Latvian State Secretary Airis Rikveilis and MBDA Germany's Guido Brendler. Unity is our strongest weapon. Allied, ready, together. 💪 #BSC2026 #WeAreNATO #NATO

Deeply saddened by today's crash of an 🇮🇹 Army CH-47 helicopter engaged in the EU operation ALTHEA @euforbih near Brčko, Bosnia and Herzegovina 🇧🇦. On behalf of the NATO Military Committee and myself, our thoughts are with the crew and everyone on board, with their families living hours of anguish, and with their comrades, awaiting for more news. I have sent a message to General Luciano Portolano to express our closeness to him and to the Italian Armed Forces at this painful time. These men and women serve peace and stability in a region to which Allies and partners have committed decades of effort. As an Italian, I feel this tragedy all the more deeply. ***** Profondo dolore per l'incidente di oggi all'elicottero CH-47 dell'Esercito Italiano 🇮🇹, impegnato nell'operazione UE ALTHEA @euforbih , precipitato vicino a Brčko, in Bosnia-Erzegovina 🇧🇦. A nome mio e del Comitato Militare della NATO, il nostro pensiero va all'equipaggio e a tutti coloro che erano a bordo, alle loro famiglie che vivono ore di angoscia e ai loro compagni, in attesa di ulteriori notizie. Ho inviato un messaggio al Generale Luciano Portolano per esprimere la nostra vicinanza a lui e alle Forze Armate italiane in questo momento difficile. Questi uomini e queste donne servono la pace e la stabilità in una regione alla quale Alleati e partner hanno dedicato decenni di impegno. Da italiano, sento questo dolore ancora più vicino, perché tocca dei connazionali.

I extend my deepest condolences following the tragic loss of life in the Mirage 2000D accident near Rogéville, Meurthe-et-Moselle, France. My thoughts are with both crew members’ families, loved ones and colleagues during this time of profound grief. As the search continues, on behalf of the NATO Military Committee, I express our solidarity with the French Air and Space Force. *** Je présente mes plus sincères condoléances suite à la perte tragique de vies humaines lors de l’accident d’un Mirage 2000D près de Rogéville, en Meurthe-et-Moselle (France). Mes pensées accompagnent les familles, les proches et les collègues des deux membres d’équipage en cette période de profonde douleur. Alors que les recherches se poursuivent, j’exprime, au nom du Comité militaire de l’OTAN, notre solidarité envers l’Armée de l’Air et de l’Espace française. @Armee_de_lair @Armee_de_lair

As our visit to Portugal 🇵🇹 draws to a close, we leave Lisbon with deep respect for a founding member of our Alliance and one of its most reliable, capable and committed Allies. From the mainland to the Azores and Madeira, Portugal is a natural bridge between Europe and North America, linking the North Atlantic, the Mediterranean and our Southern neighbourhood. Today, that geography matters more than ever. Portugal's contribution goes far beyond geography: 🔹 Troops on NATO's Eastern Flank 🔹 Frigates with our Standing Maritime Groups 🔹 Jets protecting Allied skies from the Baltic to Iceland 🔹 Forces serving in KFOR It also hosts @STRIKFORNATO, the Joint Analysis and Lessons Learned Centre, the @NATO_NCIA Academy and two @NATO_DIANA sites, and through #REPMUS it has made Tróia Peninsula the world's leading laboratory for unmanned maritime systems. Next year, NRP D. João II will become Europe's first drone carrier. We commend Portugal's steadfast support to Ukraine 🇺🇦 and its clear path towards our Hague commitments. Investing in security is an investment in freedom, prosperity and peace. Yesterday at Forte do Bom Sucesso, we had the honour to pay tribute to the Portuguese men and women who gave their lives in the service of their country. Their sacrifice reminds us what our shared commitment truly means. Our office call with the Chief of Defence @EMGFA_PT and the Portuguese Armed Forces briefing at the Joint Command for Military Operations were a very fruitful exchange. We then visited @STRIKFORNATO and followed the #NEST26 activities. This morning, we took part in the Strategic Transformation Lab on European security at the Military University Institute, organized by the IUM and #cnnportugal followed by an office call with the Minister of Defence, H.E. Nuno Melo. Before departing, I was deeply honoured to receive the Medalha Cruz de São Jorge, 1.ª Classe, of the Portuguese Armed Forces General Staff, which I accepted on behalf of all the men and women who serve every day for peace and security. Obrigado for the warm hospitality. Stronger together. 🇵🇹🤝 #NATO #WeAreNATO #Portugal #StrongerTogether #SlavaUkraini

On behalf of the NATO Military Committee, we extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives in the tragedy at CFB Wainwright, and our wishes for a full recovery to all the injured. Wainwright is where Canadian soldiers, and so many Allies with them, train for the hardest tasks of our profession. Those who fell there served our common security, and the Military Committee will honour their memory. We are grateful to the first responders, medical staff and the people of Wainwright for their courage and solidarity. @CDS_Canada_CEMD, Canada does not carry this grief alone. All 32 Allied Chiefs of Defence stand with you and the Canadian Armed Forces. 🇨🇦 * * * * * Au nom du Comité militaire de l'OTAN, on adresse nos plus sincères condoléances aux familles et aux proches des disparus de la tragédie survenue à la BFC Wainwright, ainsi que nos vœux de prompt rétablissement à tous les blessés. C'est à Wainwright que les soldats canadiens, et tant d'Alliés à leurs côtés, se préparent aux missions les plus exigeantes de notre métier. Ceux qui y sont tombés ont servi notre sécurité commune ; le Comité militaire honorera leur mémoire. Notre gratitude va aux premiers intervenants, au personnel médical et à la population de Wainwright pour leur courage et leur solidarité. @CDS_Canada_CEMD, le Canada ne porte pas ce deuil seul. Les 32 Chefs d'état-major de la défense alliés sont à vos côtés et aux côtés des Forces armées canadiennes. 🇨🇦 @CanadaNATO @Canada @CanadaOTAN @CanadianPM @NATO @SHAPE_NATO @NATO_ACT #StrongerTogether #WeAreNATO

Warsaw 🇵🇱 is the right place to be this week! It is a privilege to join the Warsaw Security Forum 2026, and I thank the Casimir Pulaski Foundation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Defence of the Republic of Poland for convening leaders, soldiers, diplomats and industry from across the Alliance and beyond at such a decisive moment for our security. Few capitals understand better than Warsaw what is at stake. Poland lives on the Alliance's front line, and it has chosen to lead: by investing in its security, by building modern forces and by reminding all of us that deterrence is not an abstraction, but a daily responsibility. The debates and the bilaterals of these two days could not be more timely. We are asking two questions at once: what does Transatlantic security need right now, and what architecture must we build for the decades ahead? The answers are connected. And the challenges are so indisputably clear: Russia's war against #Ukraine continues, hybrid attacks test our resilience below the threshold of conflict, and competition now runs across land, sea, air, space and cyberspace, and from the Euro-Atlantic to the Arctic, the Mediterranean and the Indo-Pacific. In this environment, stability does not come from nostalgia. It comes from credible deterrence, from forces that are ready, equipped and able to move, and from the unity of 32 Allies. And our steadfast support to 🇺🇦. That is why SACEUR's Theory of Victory, presented here in Warsaw today, matters so much. Its logic is clear: maintain NATO's advantage, set the conditions now to deter aggression and, if deterrence is ever tested, prevail. Europe is investing in its security on a scale not seen in a generation. The task for us in uniform is to turn that investment into real capability, at speed and together, with North America, because pledges become power only when they become ready brigades, full magazines and resilient societies. A stronger European pillar means a stronger NATO. Tomorrow, I look forward to contributing to two discussions: 🔹 Rethinking NATO Together: how we adapt the Alliance, share responsibility fairly and deliver on our commitments. 🔹 A New European Security Architecture – Is There a Way Back to Strategic Stability?: how deterrence and dialogue can coexist, and what stability can mean in a multipolar, multi-domain world. Bardzo dziękuję 🇵🇱 ! #WSF2026 #WarsawSecurityForum #WeAreNATO #NATO #Deterrence #TheoryOfVictory #Poland #SlavaUkraïni Warsawsecurityforum.org

Honoured to address the #ArcticCircle2026 Assembly in #Reykjavík 🇮🇸 The #Arctic is going through an extraordinary period of transformation. It is changing strategically, economically and environmentally, and at unprecedented pace. Arctic Allies are investing in icebreakers, ports, satellites, and air and underwater capabilities. At the same time, the region is becoming more contested. In this environment, no one can act alone. Through Arctic Sentry, NATO is bringing Allied activities together under one operational approach. Credible deterrence depends on our ability to understand together and to act together. Security must also go hand in hand with respect for the communities who have called the Arctic home for generations. Their experience must remain at the centre of how we shape its future. My sincere thanks to President Grímsson and the @arcticcircleorg for their warm hospitality and for giving us the opportunity to host our panel on NATO & the Arctic. Thanks also to 🇮🇸 Chief of Defence for an excellent exchange. I also held productive bilateral meetings with political and military leaders from across the region. We are still in time to shape the future of the Arctic. Time to act is now! #NATO #WeAreNATO #Arctic #HighNorth #ArcticSentry #Iceland #Reykjavik #Deterrence #Security