On 06 June 2024, world leaders, dignitaries, and surviving World War II veterans gathered in France to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day Landings, when some 160,000 Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy in 1944 to liberate France from Nazi occupation. The anniversary hosted multiples events honouring the veteran heroes and memorializing the victory of World War II including national ceremonies at the American, British, and Canadian cemeteries, a major international ceremony held by France, and local events in towns across the Norman coast.
D-Day veterans from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom travelled to France to join the commemorations, many of whom required wheelchairs or walking sticks as their ages ranged from 96 to 104. The ceremony was an emotional reunion, with D-Day veterans recounting their experiences, catching up with one another, and remembering their fallen comrades with a commemorative torch that was displayed at one of the vigils. Organizers acknowledged that this year’s ceremony could be the last to host surviving veterans as major ceremonial events are held every five years. The veterans were joined by United States President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, among other heads of state in attendance. France did not extend an invitation to Russian President Vladimir Putin on account of the war in Ukraine.
Just five years after D-Day, in 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty was signed in the spirit of the United Nations Charter, creating an alliance of states united against any form of military aggression. NATO stands today as a lasting memorial to the hard-won peace achieved eight decades ago on the shores of Normandy, as world leaders and member nations look to the challenges of the future and threats to global peace, wherever they may arise.
The main purpose of NATO is to prevent war, preserve peace. And we do that by making sure that any potential adversary knows that an attack on one Ally, will trigger the response from the whole Alliance.
NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Sofia, Bulgaria (May 2024)
This year’s 80th anniversary serves as a reminder of emerging threats to our shared values and unity in Europe. The war in Ukraine has once again brought collective security to the forefront of the Alliance’s collective conscience. NATO continues to adapt and strengthen our deterrence and defence in the wake of both new and old threats to the free world.