On February 1, 2014 Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel gave a speech at the Munich conference of NATO leaders. There he talked a bit about what direction he would like to see the security collective go in the future.
Here is some of what he had to say:
“The foundation of our collective security relationship with Europe has always been cooperation against common threats.”
“Throughout most of the 20th century, these common threats were concentrated in and around Europe. But today, the most persistent and pressing security challenges to Europe and the United States are global. They emanate from political instability and violent extremism in the Middle East and North Africa, dangerous non-state actors, rogue nations, such as North Korea, cyber warfare, demographic changes, economic disparity, poverty and hunger”, he said.
“And as we confront these threats, nations such as China and Russia are rapidly modernizing their militaries and global defense industries, challenging our technological edge in defense partnerships around the world. The world will continue to grow more complicated, interconnected, and in many cases, more combustible. The challenges and choices before us will demand leadership that reaches into the future without stumbling over the present”, Hagel said.
“Meeting this challenge of change will not be easy. But we must do so and we must do so together. As our strategy and defense investments will make clear, the U.S. sees Europe as its indispensable partner in addressing these threats and challenges, as well as addressing new opportunities. The centerpiece of our transatlantic defense partnership will continue to be NATO, the military alliance that has been called the greatest peace movement in history”, said Secretary Hagel (source: DODhttp://www.defense.gov/Speeches/Speech.aspx?SpeechID=1828).