FRANKFURT, Germany -- As part of U.S. Army Europe's Public Diplomacy Outreach program, Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, commanding general, USAREUR, addressed the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, or Konrad Adenauer Foundation, here, Nov. 10.
Addressing an audience of over 250 attendees, Hodges touched on a variety of political and military issues challenging both the NATO alliance and the European Union.
During his speech, which he conducted in German, Hodges reaffirmed that cohesiveness of the alliance is essential.
"The Federal Republic of Germany is our most reliable and strongest partner," Hodges said. "The quality of the armed forces is excellent. But something is missing ... quantity. It is important that all NATO partners invest in their military capabilities. The price of war is much higher than the price of deterrence."
Hodges also pointed out that we need Russia to deal with global challenges, alluding that as a global power, Russia will play an important role in resolving the crisis in Ukraine.
Hodges addressed several other topics, including the ongoing refugee crisis and the growing concerns with the expansion of international terrorism.
"We need to go to the source to solve the problems that cause the migratory movements," Hodges said.
At the end of the event, Hodges stated that USAREUR's headquarters in Wiesbaden has open doors, highlighting his goal of increasing transparency for everything the organization does.
USAREUR is engaging in public diplomacy outreach programs aimed at increasing transparency. One of these objectives is to open our doors to visits by guests from schools, universities, the media and other non-governmental organizations.
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About us: U.S. Army Europe is uniquely positioned in its 51 country area of responsibility to advance American strategic interests in Europe and Eurasia. The relationships we build during more than 1,000 theater security cooperation events in more than 40 countries each year lead directly to support for multinational contingency operations around the world, strengthen regional partnerships and enhance global security.
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