BRATISLAVA, Slovakia – This week, the third Symposium on Resilience in its current format took place in Bratislava, following successful events in Poland in 2022 and Latvia in 2023. The theme of this year’s symposium was NATO at 75: Delivering Resilient Deterrence and Defence, with a focus on fostering a proactive civil-military approach to resilience planning. This approach supports the implementation of NATO’s military plans and aims to ensure credible deterrence and defence among allied nations.
Alliance Resilience refers to the individual and collective capacity of NATO members to resist and recover from military, civilian, economic, or commercial shocks. It enables nations to absorb damage and resume normal functions as quickly and efficiently as possible. Resilience combines both civil preparedness and military capability, with civil preparedness playing a central role in the Alliance’s collective defence.
Highlights of the Resilience Symposium
The symposium featured keynote addresses from several distinguished leaders, including NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, Slovakian Minister for the Interior Matus Sutaj Estok, and NATO’s Allied Command Transformation Chief of Staff, Vice Admiral Simon Asquith CB OBE. The event covered a wide range of topics, including the current state of NATO resilience, cooperation in crisis and conflict, civil-military planning, and deep dives into energy, transport, and medical resilience.
Attendees had the opportunity to engage in discussions, exchange ideas, and align on strategies to advance NATO’s collective resilience.
“Enhancing the resilience of critical civilian infrastructure is an urgent priority. Without it, we would be unable to provide essential services to our populations or support military operations effectively. This must be a priority for every government.”
– Slovakian Prime Minister, Robert Fico
“Resilience matters more than ever in these turbulent times. This symposium is an important platform for discussing how we can build resilience among allies and partners, both civilian and military.”
“Resilience is not solely a military or civilian matter – it is a whole-of-government and whole-of-society responsibility. That is why allies have integrated civilian planning into national and collective defence planning. This ensures we are ready to execute our plans swiftly, wherever and whenever required.”
– NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte
“It’s a complicated picture, especially when we consider resilience across 32 nations, where the strands of resilience cross national borders, intertwining civil and military assets. These strands are part of a single tapestry which forms NATO’s resilience.”
“Step one, I believe, is acknowledging the urgency of the situation and the progress we’ve made. Step two is discovering the strengths and advantages of working as an alliance of 32 nations. Ultimately, conferences like this are where we exchange ideas, learn from one another, and benefit from the expertise our fantastic alliance offers.”
– NATO Allied Command Transformation
Chief of Staff, Vice Admiral Simon Asquith
Quick Facts
- The NATO Resilience Symposium aims to promote a civil-military approach to resilience, supporting allies’ implementation of NATO’s military plans.
- Resilience is crucial to ensuring that NATO members can withstand and recover from shocks, including military, economic, and civilian crises.
- This year’s symposium featured leaders from NATO and the Slovak government, and focused on cooperation in crisis, civil-military planning, and resilience in key sectors like energy, transport, and medical services.
- NATO has made resilience a priority, integrating civil preparedness into collective defence planning to ensure the Alliance can respond to crises with speed and coordination.
The third NATO Resilience Symposium underscored the critical importance of building a robust, integrated approach to resilience within the Alliance. As NATO celebrates its 75th anniversary, the focus on delivering resilient deterrence and defence has never been more relevant. With cooperation between civilian and military sectors at the forefront, the symposium highlighted both the challenges, and the progress NATO has made in ensuring that its members are prepared to withstand and recover from a range of crises. As the Alliance continues to adapt to evolving global threats, the commitment to resilience will remain a cornerstone of its collective defence, ensuring that NATO is ready to act decisively and effectively, whenever and wherever needed.
