NATO must critically increase and accelerate defense production in order to be able to effectively counter the threats to Euro-Atlantic security posed by Russia.
This was stated by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at a press conference in Brussels ahead of the meeting of NATO foreign ministers.
Russia remains “the most direct threat to Euro-Atlantic security,” Rutte said, adding that while Russia wages war against Ukraine, allies are also “facing persistent and growing attempts to undermine our security and stability, including cyberattacks, sabotage, and threats to our critical infrastructure.”
Recalling that the Russian threat was the reason allies decided to increase defense investments, Rutte said that next month’s summit in Ankara would focus on implementing that commitment.
“The question is no longer whether we need to do more. The question is how quickly allies can turn commitments into capabilities,” Rutte said, adding that this week in Helsingborg foreign ministers will discuss progress in implementing the defense investment plan agreed in The Hague, strengthening combat capabilities, and expanding defense-industrial production on both sides of the Atlantic.
Commenting on why, in his opinion, defense production has not yet expanded or accelerated to the desired pace, he acknowledged that representatives of the defense industry often need confidence in long-term, 10-year contracts, which is difficult to guarantee under current conditions given periodic changes of government in democratic countries. At the same time, he stressed that he continues active communication with defense industry leaders, convincing them that funding availability on the market is ensured by NATO’s strategic goals to increase defense budgets.
