Transatlantic NATO alliance is stronger together
This week, military and civilian personnel join the citizens of Hampton Roads for the 69th annual Norfolk NATO Festival. These series of events only strengthen the ties between the city of Norfolk and members of NATO’s 30 allied nations living here and working at NATO Allied Command Transformation and NATO Joint Force Command, Norfolk, the only two NATO commands on the North American continent. These activities demonstrate our unity and international friendship.
This year, we are back to the traditional format of the festival and I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all the local civilian and military authorities, organizations and individuals from the Hampton Roads area for assisting in the festival’s execution. The fruitful cooperation and closeness between the city of Norfolk and NATO is both a symbol and an instrument of the transatlantic bond, uniting Europe and North America.
However, here in Norfolk, it is spring and our sunny weather and great conditions allow us to shake off past lockdowns. Meanwhile, though, war is raging in Europe, where our shared values of liberty and democracy are under attack. The images of death and unacceptable brutality overwhelm and impact us emotionally — between sincere empathy, rumbling rage and deep despair. We pay tribute to the incredible effort of the Ukrainian armed forces and the unwavering patriotism and courage of the Ukrainian people and authorities who have truly inspired the world.
This war proves to us, once again, the importance of cooperation, partnership and determination to collectively protect our security. This April, NATO celebrates its 73rd anniversary. More than seven decades of alliance success is proof of NATO’s relevance and commitment to protecting our peace and freedom. NATO is a defensive political-military alliance with the core task of protecting and defending all 30 allies against any threat. The 30 allied nations are responding to this crisis with speed and unity, supporting Ukraine, our partner.
Over the years, allies have trained tens of thousands of Ukrainian troops, provided modern military equipment, and supported political reforms. The Ukrainian forces are now bigger, better equipped, better trained, and better led than ever. They are putting this training and equipment to use on the front lines.
This war forces us to realize that security can never be taken for granted and that high intensity multi-domain conflicts are unfortunately not only a thing of the past. In such an unpredictable and volatile world, it is essential to have allies, partners and friends.
The Norfolk NATO Festival highlights the strong, historical link between the city of Norfolk and NATO. Today, hundreds of NATO service members and their families proudly call Hampton Roads home. We thrive here because of your incredible hospitality, the vibrant art culture, distinguished schools and universities, educational programs, and numerous recreational opportunities. We do not take this community for granted.
Thanks to all of you! Our community is like nowhere else in the world — Norfolk is, after all, NATO’s home in North America. We are grateful for the support of all Hampton Roads, welcoming our families into schools and places of work with open arms.
Norfolk NATO Festival is far more than a celebration, it is a way to honor a huge military representation of 30 nations in the Hampton Roads’ area and the historic, special relationship our people have with the community. These activities demonstrate our unity, pledges and resilience. I look forward to sharing in this unity with you during this week.
French Air and Space Force Gen. Philippe Lavigne is the commander, NATO Supreme Allied Command Transformation headquartered in Norfolk. Lavigne joined the French Air Force Academy in 1985, has accumulated more than 2,800 flight hours and flown 46 combat missions. He is married to Isabella and they have three children. He continues to play rugby, a long-held passion, whose cherished values have inspired his motto: “Win as a Team”.