‘ONE for all, all for one’ was the motto the fictional Three Musketeers lived by.
It applies equally to NATO, where an attack on one ally is considered an attack on all.
It was under Article 5 of this organisation that we entered Afghanistan back in 2001, following the attack on the Twin Towers, to ensure that it would never again be a safe haven for international terrorism.
How it came to this unedifying end is for another day.
What concerns many of us now, is the future of NATO, the bastion of our mutual defence in the West.
Relations with our most important ally are faltering, following President Biden’s decision to unilaterally withdraw from Afghanistan.
Without US muscle - and despite the extraordinary valour and competence of our soldiers – even holding the airport would be impossible.
Regrettably, the Prime Minister’s plea for a delay during a virtual meeting of the G7 this week fell on deaf ears.
Consequently, NATO looks weak and divided.
To be fair, the US has footed most of the bill for decades, with only 10 of the 30 members meeting their annual commitment of two per cent of GDP, including the UK.
And Germany’s backroom deals for Russian gas hasn’t helped, either.
All this, while the West faces a resurgent Russia, which menaces the Baltic States and Ukraine, and a powerful China, whose ambitions extend into the South China Sea and, worryingly, Taiwan.
Our enemies only respect strength and, truly, united we stand, divided we will fall.
If we’ve learnt nothing from history, investment in our armed services and co-operation with our allies are the key to long-term peace.
NATO must endure, for all our sakes’.