The United States Secretary of Defense, Peter Hegseth, spoke this Saturday at a ceremony marking the 82nd anniversary of the Normandy landings in World War II, where he drew a parallel between that military offensive and the arrival by sea of immigrants on the coasts of Spain and other European states, which he referred to as an "invasion".
During his speech, Hegseth warned that, in his opinion, "unfortunately, other European beaches are being assaulted today by other dangerous ideologies. In Spain, Italy, and Greece and Bulgaria, the boats and the men are arriving," thus linking current migratory flows with new threats to the continent.
In this context, the Defense official asked, "When will the European capitals do something about this invasion? Or is it already too late?" These words were spoken at the American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, located very close to Omaha Beach, one of the main sites of the Allied landings.
Hegseth took advantage of the commemorative event to urge Washington's Western partners to support American leadership and, as he argued, thus guarantee international stability. He stressed that "peace is only achieved through strength, and strength is on both sides of the Atlantic, fortified by readiness, common military capabilities, and a strong political will."
The Secretary of Defense also maintained that "our world is safer and more prosperous when the United States of America and our allies are strong, free, and unhesitatingly defend our Western traditions and freedom," insisting on the need to preserve that common bloc.
In his speech, he emphasized that "the United States leads," but qualified that "capable allies must be there with us, shoulder to shoulder, in the breach, when it matters." "We are with our allies, and we expect our capable and ready allies to be with us," he added, before criticizing that "much of the West" has "become complacent" since the end of World War II.
To conclude, Hegseth lamented that "we have forgotten that freedom is not free. We have forgotten that peace is not just wished for. It is achieved with will, honor, and strength. The men who landed on these beaches knew this," linking the sacrifice of the fallen soldiers in Normandy with his call to maintain political and military determination today.