The vice president said she will remain committed to NATO as she formally accepted the Democratic presidential nomination
US Vice President Kamala Harris has declared that she will ensure the US military remains the most potent force in the world if she wins the presidency in the November elections.
Harris made this pledge during a speech delivered after formally accepting her party’s presidential nomination at the 2024 Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Illinois on Thursday.
She reminded the audience that, as vice president, she had already been actively involved in addressing national security threats, engaging in diplomatic negotiations with foreign leaders, strengthening US alliances, and interacting with US troops stationed abroad.
“As commander-in-chief, I will ensure America always has the strongest, most lethal fighting force in the world,” said Harris, who succeeded US President Joe Biden as her party’s presidential candidate in July.
She criticized Donald Trump, accusing him of having “threatened to abandon NATO.” The vice president made it clear that, unlike her Republican rival, she would remain committed to the US-led military alliance, vowing that “as president, I will stand strong with Ukraine and our NATO allies.”
She also promised to “stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself.” Harris insisted that “the people of Israel must never again face the horror that the terrorist organization Hamas caused on October 7.”
Around 1,200 people were killed and some 250 others taken hostage in the incursion into Israel by the Palestinian armed group. Israeli airstrikes and a ground offensive in Gaza, which were launched in response to the attack, have already led to over 40,000 people being killed and more than 93,000 wounded, according to the Palestinian health authorities.
The vice president also said she would fulfill the “sacred obligation” to take care of US troops and their families if she is elected to the White House. “I will always honor, and never disparage, their service and their sacrifice,” she stated.
Biden, who addressed the DNC on Monday, also attacked Trump over his stance on NATO. “When Trump left office, Europe in NATO was in tatters – not a joke,” the president said.
During his time in the White House between 2016 and 2020, Trump accused European countries who failed to meet the 2% military spending target of being freeloaders, trying to take advantage of Washington. Earlier this year, the Republican candidate recalled how he had told NATO leaders that the US would not defend “delinquent” bloc members.
Politico reported in July, citing Trump-aligned national security experts, that if he becomes president again he is “unlikely” to quit NATO outright, but could overhaul the bloc to make its European members take on more responsibility.