Q1/2019 - NATO, Annual Report 2018

Brussels, 14 March 2019

When presenting NATO’s Annual Report 2018, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg outlined the extensive activities of NATO and its members to strengthen NATO’s cyber defence. He particularly mentioned the establishment of the NATO Cyber Operations Center (COO), which has considerably enhanced the quality of NATO cyber defence. When asked by press representatives about a potential risk due to Chinese Huawei’s involvement in the provision of the 5G infrastructure in the NATO member states, he replied that NATO was thoroughly analysing the implications this involvement might have for the security of the NATO Allies[1]. NATO has not yet taken an official position on this issue.

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NATOQ1/2019
  1. [1] NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the press conference on the presentation of NATO’s Annual Report 2018 on 14 March 2019 in Brussels: “This is a very important issue and therefore I will not speculate so much about the potential outcomes of the assessments and discussions which are now going on in different NATO countries. What you all have seen is that some NATO Allies have expressed their concerns over Huawei and their role in providing 5G infrastructure. And, of course, NATO takes these concerns very seriously. That’s also the reason why we will continue to consult, continue to assess, and look into whether NATO has a role to play in addressing the security aspects related to this kind of infrastructure. Regardless of this, NATO has significantly stepped up our efforts when it comes to cyber defence and cybersecurity. So we are providing, you know, as we conduct big exercises, we increase awareness, we .share best practices, we help to strengthen the resilience of infrastructure, cyber networks, for all Allies including of course our own networks. But it’s too early to say anything about the outcome of the consultations which are going on now.” See: https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/opinions_164521.htm?selectedLocale=en