NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte warned on Thursday that the US-led alliance is not prepared for the threats it will face from Russia in the coming years. He called for a shift to a wartime mindset, emphasizing the need for significantly increased defense spending. Rutte stated that future defense budgets would need to surpass the current target of 2% of a nation’s GDP. He highlighted that Russia is preparing for a prolonged confrontation, both with Ukraine and NATO countries. Rutte stressed that NATO is not ready for the challenges it will encounter in the next four to five years and urged an acceleration of defense production and spending.
NATO estimates that 23 out of its 32 members will meet the 2% defense spending target this year. However, Mark Rutte emphasized that this amount is insufficient, recalling that during the Cold War, European countries spent more than 3% of their GDP on defense. He stressed that NATO will need significantly more than 2% going forward.
The alliance is under increased pressure from US President-elect Donald Trump, who has urged NATO members to spend 3% of their GDP on defense. Rutte, a former Dutch prime minister, called for greater defense production and urged governments to remove barriers between industries, banks, and pension funds. He also encouraged the defense industry to innovate and take risks, reassuring them that funding will only increase.
Rutte warned of a coordinated campaign to destabilize societies, including cyberattacks and assassination attempts. He also raised concerns about China’s military buildup, noting that Beijing is rapidly expanding its forces with little transparency or restrictions.
