Europe must urgently wake up from its slumber and spend “much more” on its defence, the head of NATO warned today, saying it is unprepared for the threat of war with the .
“We are not ready for what is coming our way in four or five years,” the NATO secretary general said, adding: “It is time to shift to a wartime mindset and increase our defense production and defense spending.” .
“Danger is fast approaching us”
In his keynote address, Rutte appealed for public support and a sense of sacrifice to “prevent the next major war on NATO soil”.
This formal appeal by the head of the Atlantic alliance comes at a time when Ukrainian forces are retreating on the battlefield in the face of the larger and better equipped Russian army. The war in Ukraine is causing “more than 10,000 deaths and injuries on both sides every week,” he added.
“Danger is approaching us at great speed,” the NATO secretary general warned, referring to the Russian threat on the European continent.
“What is happening in Ukraine can also happen here,” the former Dutch prime minister insisted, and even if, he added, there is no immediate military threat against NATO, this does not prevent Russia from preparing for “a long-term confrontation with Ukraine and with us”, the 32 NATO countries.
“The Russian economy is in a state of war,” while in Europe, states are reluctant to spend more to increase their defense capabilities, he added.
And in addition to Russia, China, Iran and North Korea are “working hard to weaken North America and Europe,” the NATO secretary general stressed. “We must be clear about China’s ambitions when it significantly increases its forces, including its nuclear weapons, without limits and with opacity,” he warned.
In a world where “the security situation is the worst in my lifetime,” “we are not where we should be,” the head of the Atlantic alliance said.
“Europe’s defense industry is fragmented”
Europe’s defense industry is “too small, too slow and too fragmented”, he explained, calling on governments, industry and the public to take a leap of faith.
NATO countries spend “much less” on defense than during the Cold War, when they devoted more than 3% of their gross domestic product to defense.
In 2023, the Allies decided to increase their military spending to 2% of GDP. But only 23 of them have reached this limit. “I can tell you that we will need much more than 2%,” Rutte stressed.
Some NATO countries are talking about the need to raise this limit to 3%, but they remain divided and no decision has yet been made.
Each additional unit of GDP represents around 200 billion more for EU countries, 23 of which are also NATO members, according to the new European Defense Commissioner, Andrews Koubilius.
This effort comes at a cost, which entails sacrifices, the NATO secretary general explained. “Today, I am appealing for your support,” he said. “I know that spending more on defense means spending less on other priorities, but it’s only a little less,” he said, suggesting that “a small portion” of social spending be used to achieve this.
“To protect our freedom (…) your politicians must listen to you”, he emphasized. “Tell them you’re willing to make sacrifices today so we can stay safe tomorrow.”
“Tell them they need to spend more on defense so we can continue to live in peace.”
“If we don’t spend more together now to prevent war, we will pay a much, much, much higher price later by making war,” the NATO secretary general concluded.
RES/EMP
