{"id":80061,"date":"2017-03-27T16:37:24","date_gmt":"2017-03-27T16:37:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?guid=c75903bcc3236279f961865556d0d47f"},"modified":"2017-03-27T16:37:24","modified_gmt":"2017-03-27T16:37:24","slug":"speech-international-security-conference-27-march","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?p=80061","title":{"rendered":"Speech: International Security Conference \u2013 27 March"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

It\u2019s a pleasure to open your conference today.<\/p>\n

Our theme, international security, is a tragically timely one in light of last Wednesday\u2019s terrorist attack.<\/p>\n

Little more than five minutes\u2019\u00a0walk\u00a0from here\u2026innocent people\u2026not just from Britain\u2026but from China, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Romania, South Korea and the United States\u2026.were mercilessly\u00a0mown\u00a0down.<\/p>\n

Four innocent people lost their lives – including a brave police officer, PC Keith Palmer – who was guarding the gates of Parliament.<\/p>\n

Dozens more were injured.<\/p>\n

This was not just an attack on all of those people – but on the centre of our democracy and our way of life.<\/p>\n

In the past few years our security services have thwarted over a dozen plots.
\n\u00a0
\nTragically this one got through.
\n\u00a0
\nYet, as those events unfolded, the British people showed their defiance.<\/p>\n

The terrorists sought to divide us, they always seek to divide us.<\/p>\n

But we are more united than ever in defending our way of life.<\/p>\n

And in a few days\u2019 time\u2026when our Prime Minister triggers Article 50 and we begin the process of leaving the European Union\u2026we won\u2019t simply be strengthening\u00a0our Parliamentary sovereignty\u2026retaining\u00a0control of our borders and our laws\u2026we\u2019ll be becoming an even more Global Britain\u2026standing up for British values and the international-rules based system\u2026alongside our friends and allies.<\/p>\n

And I\u2019m proud that we can count our Commonwealth colleagues amongst the closest of our friends.<\/p>\n

Over the next 12 months an event is taking place that will encapsulate that relationship\u2026as the Queen\u2019s baton wends its way across the Commonwealth\u2026en route to its destination on the Australian Gold Coast\u2026where next year\u2019s Commonwealth Games are to be held.<\/p>\n

During that time it will pass from hand to hand over\u00a0230,000 kilometres\u2026before reaching its final destination.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m told there is a message inside the baton that will eventually be read out to all the competitors.<\/p>\n

But the real message is in the medium.<\/p>\n

For the baton shows that the diversity among our 52 nations\u2026the differences between our 2 billion people\u2026are transcended by the things we share\u2026not just sport\u2026but our values\u00a0of freedom, justice and democracy.<\/p>\n

One hundred years ago our nations\u2026some of them fought shoulder to shoulder to defend those values\u2026at\u00a0the battles of\u00a0Passchendaele\u00a0and Arras – that we commemorate 100 years later this year.<\/p>\n

During the Great War\u2026those troops\u2019 heroism was remarkable. They were often volunteers. Fighting far from home.
\n\u00a0
\nAnd as chair of the Commonwealth War Graves commission\u2026it\u2019s a huge source of\u00a0pride to me\u2026that we continue tending the\u00a0final resting places of\u00a0all the 1.7 million\u00a0Commonwealth men and women\u2026who died in two World Wars<\/p>\n

Each grave identical\u2026no distinction given to colour, or creed, or cap badge\u2026because though their\u00a0backgrounds differed\u2026their cause was the same.<\/p>\n

Yet\u00a0the values they fought for in those two world wars remain under threat today.<\/p>\n

From the home-grown Islamist terror we\u2019ve seen in our capital
\nand in cities across the world.<\/p>\n

From Daesh in the Middle East\u2026and from extremist franchises across Africa. From a nuclear armed North Korea in the Asia Pacific. From Russian aggression in Eastern Europe.<\/p>\n

Those dangers, as our 2015 Strategic Defence Review underlined, are growing in diversity, complexity and concurrence
\n\u00a0
\nEach of them poses a risk to the stability of the international rules-based order on which our security and prosperity depend. In the face of such dangers we\u2019re sticking to the roadmap set out in the SDSR.<\/p>\n

Based around\u00a0three key principles:
\n\u00a0
\nFirst, we are standing up for our democratic values.
\n\u00a0
\nWhen it comes to Daesh\u2026calling out its\u00a0extremist narrative\u2026working with Islamic scholars to debunk its claims to legitimacy\u2026and demonstrating to its\u00a0potential followers\u2026that their way is nothing but a dead end.<\/p>\n

And\u00a0when it comes to Russia\u2026we\u2019re clear-eyed about a pattern of behaviour that is becoming more assertive and persistent.<\/p>\n

We want Russia to change tack, abide by the Minsk agreements, to curb the reckless military activity, and to ditch the misinformation.<\/p>\n

If it does, then there is the potential for a better relationship\u2026In the meantime, we should \u2018engage but beware\u2019 as the PM has said.<\/p>\n

But talking and engagement is not enough.<\/p>\n

Our second principle is about\u00a0strengthening our deterrence.
\n\u00a0
\nDeterrence is really about ensuring our adversaries know the benefits of any aggressive action are far outweighed by the costs.\u00a0
\n\u00a0
\nSo today we\u2019re investing our growing budget\u2026not just\u00a0in nuclear Dreadnought submarines\u2026and conventional armaments\u00a0from carriers and frigates to F35s\u00a0and attack helicopters\u2026but\u00a0in\u00a0new\u00a0disruptive capabilities such as cyber.<\/p>\n

Cyber I know is\u00a0on your conference agenda for Friday. Just as it was on our\u00a0SDSR agenda\u2026as a Tier One threat\u2026up there with terrorism or a major natural disaster.<\/p>\n

Today our adversaries are increasingly turning to cyber.<\/p>\n

So we\u2019re\u00a0investing here \u00a31.9 billion to develop cyber capabilities and skills across all government departments and setting up the new National Cyber Security Centre.<\/p>\n

Our military cyber workforce is already among the best in the world \u2013 with cyber integrated into all three services.<\/p>\n

But, in such a fast moving environment, we must continually enhance our skills.<\/p>\n

Which is why, we\u2019re establishing the Defence Cyber School at Shrivenham in the autumn and standing up a Cyber Security Operations Centre at Corsham, in Wiltshire.<\/p>\n

Forthcoming cyber exercises will also continue to test and improve their skills.<\/p>\n

And this week Information Warrior 17 gets underway\u2026with the Royal Navy launching its first large scale cyber war games\u2026testing\u00a0out a pioneering Artificial Intelligence\u2026able to speed up complex decision making.<\/p>\n

And we\u2019re not just interested in defensive but offensive cyber.<\/p>\n

Those who threaten cyber attacks against us need to know the risk they\u2019re running.<\/p>\n

So our National Offensive Cyber Planning is integrating cyber\u00a0into our military offensive.<\/p>\n

The third principle is the need to become international-by-design.<\/p>\n

NATO\u00a0remains the bedrock of our defence\u2026and in the wake of multiple threats\u2026\u00a0has never been more important.<\/p>\n

So we\u2019re not just\u00a0meeting the Alliance target to spend 2 per cent of GDP on defence\u2026but\u00a0we are reassuring our\u00a0allies\u00a0in the face of Russian aggression\u2026by leading the Very High Readiness Joint Taskforce\u2026and continuing to support NATO\u2019s Air Policing mission.<\/p>\n

For three years our fighters safeguarded Baltic airspace.<\/p>\n

Today I can announce the legendary 3 (Fighter) Squadron\u2026who earned their wings in two world wars\u2026will now be deployed to Romania from May\u2026 this time to protect Black Sea skies.<\/p>\n

3rd Squadron has a glorious history. 100 years ago it was a fighter scout unit assisting our forces in the trenches.<\/p>\n

In World War 2 it was at the forefront of our air defences destroying nearly V1 flying bombs. More recently it took tours of Sierra Leone and Iraq during the second gulf war and it was the first frontline Squadron to be equipped with Typhoons which will now be leading our efforts to confront aggression\u2026with the UK the first nation to provide jets to support this particular mission.<\/p>\n

All the while, we\u2019re supporting NATO\u2019s Enhanced Forward Presence and last week dispatched troops\u00a0to Estonia. \u00a0<\/p>\n

So our new force in Estonia will not just be working closely with Allies to provide reassurance but assisting NATO efforts to counter the misinformation of a \u201cpost-truth\u201d age.
\n\u00a0
\nNext month, a British Army team, including Royal Navy and Air Force personnel, will participate in Exercise Locked Shield\u00a0organised by the NATO Cyber Defence Centre in Tallinn\u2026it is designed to see how an international team of experts can defend a simulated network from attack.
\n\u00a0
\nNow, all these actions are proportionate\u00a0and defensive.<\/p>\n

As well as\u00a0assisting the Alliance to up its game we\u2019re also putting our high-tech skills at the disposal of\u00a0the 68-nation Counter-Daesh coalition\u2026so as well as striking terrorist targets and\u2026cutting their finances\u2026and stemming the flow of foreign fighters to Iraq and Syria\u2026we\u2019re also tackling them in cyber space.<\/p>\n

Partnerships\u00a0are about more than stopping threats.\u00a0
\n\u00a0
\nThey are\u00a0also\u00a0about preventing them.
\n\u00a0
\nEarly intervention in a local crisis can stop it turning to regional chaos.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why Britain is the\u00a0only major country in the world meeting our NATO target and spending 0.7 per cent of GDP development.
\n\u00a0
\nAnd it\u2019s why\u00a071 years ago\u00a0after\u00a0the\u00a0first meeting of the\u00a0UN Security Council took place in\u00a0this hall the UK is helping make the UN fit\u00a0for\u00a0the 21st century.
\n\u00a0
\nLast year I invited 80 nations to London\u00a0to improve UN peacekeeping.
\n\u00a0
\nWe agreed to strengthen\u00a0the organisation\u2019s planning\u2026to improve performance\u00a0of its peacekeepers\u2026and honour\u00a0individual pledges to provide more manpower and materiel.<\/p>\n

And in the UK, we are practicing what we preach\u2026sending troops to Somalia to support\u00a0the fight against\u00a0Al-Shabaab\u2026and to South Sudan to build a hospital and assist ongoing humanitarian work.<\/p>\n

All in addition to the work of our short-term training teams\u2026who from\u00a0Kuwait to Kenya are doing everything\u2026from training local forces to protecting endangered species from poachers.\u00a0
\n\u00a0
\nSo we\u2019re strengthening our partnerships with\u00a0NATO,\u00a0the\u00a0counter-Daesh\u00a0Coalition, and the UN.
\n\u00a0
\nWhat\u00a0of the Commonwealth?
\n\u00a0
\nWe\u2019re working with\u00a0many of you to front up to aggression.<\/p>\n

We have numerous\u00a0bi-lateral relationships\u2026and our partnership with Commonwealth allies\u2026as part of our Five Eyes Intelligence Alliance and\u00a0our\u00a0Five Powers Defence Arrangement\u00a0
\n\u00a0\u00a0
\nBut for me the Commonwealth has\u00a0an even bigger role.\u00a0
\n\u00a0
\nDefence can banish despair in fragile nations. But the Commonwealth can do more than that.
\n\u00a0
\nIt can bring hope.
\n\u00a0
\nI\u2019ve had the great privilege to see some of the Commonwealth\u2019s work up close.
\n\u00a0
\nI\u2019ve seen you fighting poverty\u2026to support good governance\u2026to devise innovative solutions to challenge climate change.
\n\u00a0
\nI\u2019ve see you fighting for people\u2019s right to make a better life.<\/p>\n

Putting into practice the values of the Commonwealth Charter of democracy, human rights and the rule of law.<\/p>\n

And delivering on the commitment of all members to the development of free and democratic societies and the promotion of peace and prosperity to improve the lives of all peoples of the Commonwealth.<\/p>\n

That ambitious vision depends on delivering the security and safety that our people deserve \u2013 and that depends on us all making and winning the argument that defence is vital in safeguarding our way of life.
\n\u00a0
\nSo let me just say in conclusion, last week\u2019s terrorist attack wasn\u2019t the first time\u2026we\u2019ve seen an attack on what Winston Churchill once called \u201cthe citadel of liberty\u201d.
\n\u00a0\u00a0
\n76 years ago Nazi bombs\u00a0destroyed the Chamber in the House of Commons.<\/p>\n

Yet the enemy couldn\u2019t touch the spirit of the British people\u2026and while the great chamber of the Commons was rebuilt\u2026we moved here, to this very hall.
\n\u00a0
\nAs one\u00a0of\u00a0my Parliamentary colleagues said last week\u2026nothing\u00a0stops democracy.<\/p>\n

So let\u2019s keep working together\u2026Let us keep passing our baton of peace across the world\u2026because in\u00a0the fight against aggression\u2026\u00a0our greatest weapon remains democracy\u2026and as\u00a0Karl Popper once said:<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly freedom can make security secure\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon’s speech from today’s conference on international security.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80061"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=80061"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80061\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=80061"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=80061"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=80061"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}