Fathers FM
LONDON — Washington’s European allies must make a “quantum leap” in military spending to deter Russia, the head of NATO said Monday, calling for a 400% increase in the continent’s air and missile defense budget.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte’s comments are among the organization’s strongest yet as it tries to improve Europe’s insufficient defenses against Russia while also avoiding the political ire of President Donald Trump.
“The fact is, we need a quantum leap in our collective defense,” Rutte said at the London-based think tank Chatham House. “The fact is, we must have more forces and capabilities to implement our defense plans in full. The fact is, danger will not disappear even when the war in Ukraine ends.”
Trump’s clear signaling that he would like to at least significantly reduce decades of American military support for Europe has sent its nations scrambling to beef up their own arms industries.
Trump’s call for NATO allies to up their minimum defense spending from 2% to 5% of GDP was once seen as outlandish; but last month Rutte too backed this idea and said he expected it to be adopted at NATO’s June 24-25 summit.
On Monday he made a similarly ambitious call. He asked for a “400% increase in air and missile defense” and added that “militaries also need thousands more armored vehicles and tanks, millions more artillery shells, and we must double our enabling capabilities, such as logistics, supply, transportation, and medical support.”
