Brussels, 21 March 2023
On 21 March 2023, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg released his Annual Report for 2022.
We have entered an era of strategic competition. Authoritarian powers are challenging the rules based international system. The clearest example of this is President Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine. China’s growing assertiveness and coercive policies also have consequences for our security. Other threats remain, including the continued threat of terrorism, cyber-attacks, disruptive technologies and the security impact of climate change.
In the face of these challenges, Europe and North America stand united in NATO. We continue to adapt to this new reality with a stronger deterrence and defence and deeper relations with our partners around the world. We have supported Ukraine with around €150 billion of military, humanitarian and financial assistance.
At our Madrid Summit in June 2022, Allies agreed a fundamental shift in our deterrence and defence, making it clear to the world NATO’s determination to defend every inch of Allied territory. Allies also agreed a new Strategic Concept, NATO’s guiding document, to reflect our new more dangerous world.
In this report, you will read about the concrete actions NATO has taken to further adapt our Alliance politically and militarily to an ever-changing world. It covers NATO’s work and achievements throughout the year, including the Madrid Summit, the new Strategic Concept and NATO’s unwavering and unprecedented support for Ukraine.
In 2022, NATO commissioned surveys across all 30 Allies to understand their citizens’ perceptions of NATO and to monitor trends in comparison to 2021. These show that overall support for the NATO Alliance, the transatlantic bond and collective defence is stronger than ever.
The Report also includes the details of estimated 2022 national defence expenditures for all 30 NATO Allies. 2022 saw the eighth consecutive year of increases in defence spending across European Allies and Canada. From 2021 to 2022, defence spending increased by +2.2% in real terms. In total, over the last eight years, this increase added USD 350 billion for defence.
The Secretary General’s Annual Report is now available online.
You can download a PDF of the full Report here.
Follow the conversation online with #SGReport.
Source – NATO – Email