German minister responds to international order threats: NATO ready to defend land, people and their freedom

In April of this year, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation [ NATO will celebrate its 70th birthday. Founded in the early years of the Cold War, it is just as important today, when many people think that international order has been shaken again.

In fact, if NATO did not exist, those in favor of a free world would have to invent it. While the main goal of the alliance remains to ensure the security of its members, it has never been a clean military alliance.

It is also a political alliance, given the joint aspirations of its members, who, as the Treaty puts it, NATO “is determined to protect the freedom, shared heritage and civilization of its peoples, based on the principles of democracy, individual freedom and rule of law”.

These principles are now under attack. Russian aggression in Eastern Europe, the aggressive behavior of China in the South China Sea, the terrorism of Islamic State, which spreads from the Middle East to the capitals of Europe, authoritarian regimes that develop nuclear weapons these different but have one thing in common: They are born of actors who oppose the current international rule.

They try to undermine, or even change, the rules, that have governed the era of democracy and prosperity since the end of World War II. To meet these challenges, NATO democracies must remain united. We're stronger than any one of us would have.

So since 2014, when Russia invaded Ukraine, NATO has adapted to the situation in question as it has many times in its history. Among 29 sovereign states, with different cultures and political views, such adaptation will always be complex and sometimes chaotic.

But NATO's ability to change its priorities and strategies ensures that the alliance remains the test of time. And the results are obvious. First, all European NATO members have increased their military expenses. For example, the German defence budget has increased by 36 percent compared with the time I took office in late 2013.

We still have more to do, to share the burden of the alliance, and we are prepared to do more. But we also need to remember that sharing the burden is not only about money but also about abilities and contributions. Germany is on this plan, the second largest contributor to NATO, and the proud to lead NATO Joint Force of Higher Readiness.

Meanwhile, NATO has increased its presence in Eastern Europe, plays an active role in training Iraqi security forces, and assists in overseeing the fight against Islamic State, continues to support the Afghan government, and develops its partnerships with countries that have a similar vision like Australia and Japan, in addition to many other things.

In meeting its three main tasks, collective defence, crisis management and alliance partnerships, the alliance is an irreplaceable stone to an international order that favours freedom and peace. Above all, NATO is not a transatlantic organisation only on behalf.

It represents a special, even emotional, bond between the American and European continents. For a German, images of the Berlin Wall fall are closely linked to the alliance, and my country is especially grateful for the security and opportunities that NATO has offered for decades.

So besides the practical benefits from the bases, structures and bodies, NATO has a value in itself. Perhaps the most fundamental benefit of NATO, it provides credibility in an uncertain world. Our firm commitment to Article 5, the collective protection clause of the NATO treaty, makes our common security really inseparable.

We will help our weaker ally, just as we have helped the most powerful by referring to Article 5 for the first and only time in NATO's history after September 11, 2001. So it is good that the European Union is taking important steps to enhance its military capabilities.

If members of this Union manage to harmonise their defence and military preparation strategies, and combine their armed forces, then all of this will add to NATO's strength. And a stronger NATO will serve the security interests of all members.

Above all, it would send a clear signal to those who oppose international rule based on rules: We transatlantic allies are willing to protect our land, our people and our freedom.

Note: Ursula von der Leyen, is Germany's defence minister.

New York Times World.al