I thank you all for joining us in this celebration today. I thank the Secretary General, my dear friend Mark Rutte, for the warm welcome. Mark, your job is one of the most important and most challenging jobs these days. Imagine there was a job posting for NATO Secretary General going up on LinkedIn today – I am not sure how many people would say: Yup, I’m up for that one. Mark, I am really glad it is you who is doing this job. Thank you for your leadership and your diplomacy!

And I also want to thank Christopher Cavoli. He is an outstanding American leader, a great friend of Germany, and a driving force of the Alliance. As you all know, the SACEUR is already a four-star general – but as of 30 minutes ago, he is also a knight! A Knight Commander of the German Order of Merit. And it was my absolute pleasure to honour him that way – congratulations, General Cavoli!

And most importantly, I want to thank each and every one of you here. Military or civilian, working for Headquarters or at your national missions: I want to thank all of you for your service, for your dedication. By serving your nation, you are serving us all. And by serving the Alliance, you are serving your nation. That’s the power of NATO – and I urge all leaders out there: let’s remember that! We are stronger together.

As President of Germany, I stand before you, our Allies, to commemorate 70 years of German membership in NATO. As I do so, two emotions weigh on my mind and my heart: first of all, a deep sense of gratitude, but also an equally deep sense of urgency.

Imagine 1955. The horrors of the Second World War were just 10 years away. Just 10 years since 60 million had died, 6 million Jews murdered, the whole of Europe in ruins. And all because of the destruction and hatred that my country had unleashed.

“Gratitude” doesn’t even begin to capture what it meant for Germany to be brought back to the table, taken under the wing of Article 5, even allowed to re-arm. Among only a few other milestones – the joining of the United Nations, the process of European integration, the Ostpolitik of deterrence and détente – this moment in 1955 was a key, a key that opened up my nation’s path to peace, prosperity and unification. 70 years back, it was a decision of remarkable strategic foresight and impact. I can only wish us and all our leaders a similar degree of strategic wisdom today – as the path from here on out looks even more uncertain than it looked back then.

It has been, to build on a phrase from Eric Hobsbawm, a long 20^th century. Looking at the world today, we are experiencing the end of the long 20^th century. Epochal shifts are under way, both to the East and to the West. And this is where my sense of gratitude meets with a sense of urgency.

Everything we have learned from this long 20^th century seems at stake today. From the ruins of two world wars, through the Cold War, the building of a united Europe, and our hope in the lasting prevalence of the liberal international order: This arc has led my country to what it is today. It has brought us peace and prosperity. It has defined everything we believe in. Yet, every lesson we have taken from this journey is in doubt, or being challenged or attacked. This is why we Germans are particularly stirred and worried by what’s going on around us. But I say to my fellow Germans: we shouldn’t just be worried – we are called upon! We need to step up!

Today – with Putin’s war against Ukraine raging on in full force and with the United States putting fierce pressure on its European Allies – Germany is in a crucial position. That’s why I speak to you, our Allies, not just with gratitude – but with urgency. Germany is being called on – and we heard the call. We got the message! And indeed, Mark: You can count on us!

We will continue to strengthen our armed forces, the Bundeswehr, and we will step up investment in our defence industry. We will work hard to meet our commitments to NATO’s regional plans. We will continue to be Ukraine’s strongest supporter in Europe, to uphold its freedom and its sovereignty and its European future. And we will strive to make Germany, both its military and its infrastructure, the backbone of conventional defence in Europe.

The fact, you mentioned it, Mark, that Germany’s parliament has, by a large supra-partisan consensus, mobilised 500 billion euro over the next 12 years, should prove to you that we are serious about it. We mean it.

Maybe the end of the long 20^th century is also reflected in the changing role of my country. Up until now, every milestone for Germany, every turning point for the better has been, in some way, one of restraint, of embedding, of becoming part of something larger – NATO, the United Nations, the European Union. After all, my country’s past –the “German question” – loomed large in everyone’s memory. So, yes, for a long time we didn’t invest as much in our own defence, because the times were different. For a long time, war in Europe had become almost inconceivable.

But the tides have turned. Putin has brought war back to this continent. He has laid Europe’s security order to waste. Germany now doesn’t just need to be part of the whole, but to stand up for the whole, maybe even stand out.

Today, a badly armed Germany is a greater threat to Europe than a strongly armed Germany. Ein schlecht gerüstetes Deutschland ist die größere Gefahr für Europa als ein stark gerüstetes Deutschland.

I think virtually all of our Allies have long subscribed to that statement – it is much harder to accept for us Germans ourselves. And in view of our history, I hope you understand why. Still, I urge my fellow Germans to embrace this new reality – that’s why I repeated it in German. I am convinced: The most important task of the new German government is to strengthen our armed forces, to close the gap between our promises and our capabilities, to finish what we call the Zeitenwende. We need a strong military – not in order to wage war, but to prevent it. And as a former diplomat let me add: Our foreign policy needs a strong military, too – not to replace diplomacy, but to make it credible.

An era is ending, and a new era is beginning – one that certainly doesn’t look rosy so far.

Of course, there are doubts. There is every reason to doubt – in fact, there is a new reason every time you open your social media feeds.

There are doubts on both sides of the Atlantic. Many Americans are saying: what’s in it for us? Why can’t Europe finally take care of itself? And many Europeans are asking: What has happened to our biggest ally? Why are we treated not as partners, but as supplicants?

At this 70-year commemoration, I have the luxury of stepping back from the daily irritation. As I look back, full of gratitude, at seven decades of freedom and security, I ask myself: What will it take for us to protect our freedom and security seven decades from now? My answer is: It will still take the power of the Alliance. It will need to be an Alliance that rests on two equal pillars: a strong Europe, a strong North America. Reassurance, Mark, as you were saying, is a two-way street. And if both pillars are equally strong, I am convinced that this Alliance is of irreplaceable value to both sides of the Atlantic.

Think of it this way: This Alliance was born of the strength of democracies in the 20^th century. No country, not even the United States, would be able to create such an Alliance again in the 21^st century. But all of us, even the strongest, will need Allies in the 21^st century. So let’s make sure to remember what’s at stake.

Let me end with one final thought: As we are focussing so much on how to shore up our defences, let’s not forget what it is that we’re defending. It’s not just our territory. It is our freedom, our democracies and the rule of law.

I think we all know that these have come under attack not just from outside – but very much from within as well. I think all of us, in different ways in our different political cultures, are feeling the sinister spread of authoritarian trends and tendencies. The long 20^th century is ending – but its lessons are not out of date. You can count on Germany’s commitment to NATO – but you can also count on our commitment to the principles that we hold dear.

Anyone who looks at German history sees how things turned wrong, and how things turned right.

Anyone who looks at the world today sees how our future could turn either way.

So let’s keep this precious Alliance, and let’s keep its values strong! It will take a lot from us: military might and political acumen. Commitment to our values and respect for our partners. Germany is ready to give all of the above.