Good morning, everyone. My name is John Swords. I am the legal adviser at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) headquarters. It is a great honor to be with you here in Washington seventy-five years to the day after the North Atlantic treaty was signed here in Washington in 1949. When those twelve original allies committed to collective defense, to treat an attack on one as an attack on all, they were motivated by a desire to defend democracies against Soviet aggression in Europe and beyond. And in that sense, unfortunately, the alliance has come full circle today. Russia's brutal war of aggression against Ukraine has once again shattered peace in Europe and once again threatens the values of democracy, freedom, and the rule of law that are enshrined in the North Atlantic Treaty. But once again, nations have rallied around NATO in response, including new allies Finland and Sweden, who are now signatories to the treaty.