Defense

NATO chief hits back at Trump: ‘We are as relevant as ever’

by Kristina Wong - 06/14/16 3:05 PM ET

BRUSSELS — NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday dismissed criticism from Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump that the alliance is irrelevant.

“We are as relevant as ever,” said Stoltenberg on the first day of a two-day defense ministerial meeting at the alliance headquarters in Brussels.

“We are able to adapt to a changed and more dangerous security environment and that we are delivering both when it comes to increased readiness and preparedness of forces, with more forward deployment,” he added.

{mosads}Trump has repeatedly attacked the alliance on the campaign trail, calling it “obsolete,” and too costly for the U.S., which funds more than 70 percent of its spending.

“We have many other concerns than the U.S. election campaign,” Stoltenberg said when asked if Trump’s comments were a concern among NATO members. “I leave it to the voters of the United States to decide who’s going to be the next president in the United States.”

The presumptive GOP nominee went after the alliance during a speech Monday evening and once again took credit for recent news that NATO will create a top intelligence post to help counter terrorism. Officials said he has nothing to do with it.

“That is why our new goal must be to defeat Islamic terrorism, not nation-building. For instance, the last major NATO mission was Hillary Clinton’s war in Libya. That mission helped unleash ISIS on a new continent,” Trump said. “I’ve said NATO needs to change its focus to stopping terrorism. Since I’ve raised that criticism, NATO has since announced a new initiative focused on just that.”

Stoltenberg said the alliance was adapting to address challenges from southern Europe, including terrorism and political instability.

“So we are working with partner countries in the region, with Afghanistan, with Iraq, with Tunisia, with Jordan and other countries to help them build local forces, train local forces, so we can enhance their ability to fight ISIL, to fight terrorism, and to stabilize their own countries,” he said, using another acronym for the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

The secretary general also added that the only time NATO has ever invoked the Article V clause calling all members to defend another member under attack was after 9/11, in defense of the U.S.

He also said NATO members and partners have had “more than a thousand” soldiers killed in support of the U.S.-led campaign in Afghanistan.

“So I think this illustrates that NATO is important for Europe, but NATO is also important for the United States,” he said. “I think also that two World Wars has [taught] us all that stability peace in Europe is also important for the United States.”

Tags Donald Trump Hillary Clinton NATO Terrorism