Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is given a helmet with earmuffs and an inflatable vest, like the rest of the passengers. We will be flown out of the military part of the airport in Naples to a secret destination somewhere in the Mediterranean, where the aircraft carrier George HW Bush is located. The C-2 Greyhound transport plane, where the passengers sit back-to-front, has two small windows in the back rows of seats, but for most people on board it is rather difficult to find your way around. It’s hot, and the helmet is tight. It is a kind of relief when, after an hour, the crew asks us to hold on tight to the safety harness before landing. ON THE WAY: Jens Stoltenberg in the transport plane that will take him to the aircraft carrier HW George Bush. Slight shaking, then a strong jerk as the hook under the plane grabs hold of a wire strung across the deck of the huge aircraft carrier, where more than 3,000 people do their daily work. We are here. Message to Putin Once on board, we get a loud and fast-paced demonstration of how F-18 fighter jets take off and land on the ship. We are here for two main reasons: The American ship George HW Bush, which is now under Nato command, is among the most important elements in the major exercise Neptune Strike, where American and allied forces from a wide range of member states train on seamless cooperation. It is the demonstration of this cooperation that will send a clear message to possible enemies, states Stoltenberg when he addresses the crew. More precisely, there is a message to Vladimir Putin here. – We must prevent the war in Ukraine from becoming a full-blown war between NATO and Russia, says Stoltenberg to news. He states that it must be avoided that Russia at any time believes that it is possible to attack a NATO country. – As long as we have credible deterrence, no NATO country will be attacked. Our military presence, including with this type of aircraft carrier groups under Nato command, sends that message to Russia, he says. – Not to provoke a conflict, but to prevent it. OVERVIEW: The F-18 aircraft is being prepared for departure. Photo: Simen Ekern False accusations The exercise is about avoiding escalation, as the NATO leadership sees it. But there is already a war going on, of course, with Russia’s accusations that Ukraine plans to use bombs containing radioactive material, so-called “dirty bombs”, the latest in a long line of acute concerns. – These are completely false and completely incorrect claims. What is worrying is that Russia has a habit of accusing others of doing what they intend to do themselves. Stoltenberg is thinking, among other things, of the use of chemical weapons in Syria, and of how Russia, before the war, accused Ukraine of planning to use military force to achieve political goals, he explains. – So we are following very closely what Russia is doing now. It has been communicated very clearly to them that they cannot use false allegations as an excuse for a further escalation in Ukraine, says the Secretary-General. SMALLTALK: Jens Stoltenberg asks Daniel “Dude Bigalow” Curry if it is difficult to land a fighter jet on an aircraft carrier. (Curry can confirm that it is difficult). Photo: Simen Ekern A different Russia For a secretary general who began the NATO job with the hope that fruitful talks with Russia are possible, not least based on many years of Norwegian experience that it is possible to enter into agreements with Russia that are respected, has the reality of recent years has time and again cast doubt on that hope. – It is a different Russia that we are experiencing today than the one we hoped to be able to cooperate with after the Cold War. We have to deal with that, unfortunately, says Stoltenberg. Now it is military support for Ukraine and deterrence that apply. – We must hope and believe that at some point this war will also end at a negotiating table. But the probability of achieving a negotiated solution that ensures that Ukraine continues as an independent democratic state in Europe increases the stronger they stand on the battlefield. That is why military support is so important. ON BOARD THE BUSH: Jens Stoltenberg addresses the crew. Photo: Simen Ekern – It fills all my time Jens Stoltenberg’s job as Secretary General has been characterized by a long series of dramatic events that have replaced each other. Some of them, such as the pandemic, gave time for reflection, planning, and long walks with an audiobook in the ear in corona-locked Brussels, as Stoltenberg told news last year. After February, everyday life seems like a distant past. – So, my everyday life has changed because a war has broken out in Europe. It takes a lot of time and effort in NATO to ensure that we do what we can to support Ukraine, but also prevent the war from spreading, says the Secretary General. – But what I experience is trifling compared to what this war is actually about: People who live in fear, people on the run, and people who are killed and injured very close to us. PRESENCE: We are not here to provoke a conflict, but to prevent it, says Jens Stoltenberg to news. Photo: Antonia Cimini When Stoltenberg’s extension became a fact, it was a rather emotional man who announced that he felt he had no choice but to continue as NATO’s Secretary General. As there wasn’t really an election, he doesn’t regret the decision either now that there is one year left – as it looks now, anyway. – You have one year left now. Are you looking forward to relaxing with a beer at the cabin, or will it be unreal not to have to deal with war and peace on a daily basis? – I think about the job I have to do here. It fills all my time, all my strength and all my concentration. Therefore, I think practically nothing about what to do afterwards, and I think that is only an advantage.
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Jens Stoltenberg visits aircraft carriers and warns against Putin’s lies – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
