The NATO chief has warned that the alliance is unprepared for the threats from Russia that it will face in the coming years and that it is time to adopt a wartime mindset.
Mark Rutte, the organization’s Secretary–General, stated that NATO members spent more than 3% of GDP on defense during the Cold War, asserting that future spending will need to far exceed the alliance’s current target of 2%.
“Russia is preparing for a long-term confrontation, with Ukraine and with us,” Rutte said during a speech in Brussels. “We are not ready for what is coming in four to five years.”
“It is time to transition to a wartime mindset and increase defense production and spending,” he added.
Rutte described the current security situation as “the worst in my lifetime.”
NATO leaders agreed to end the defense cuts that began after the Cold War ended, following Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula ten years ago, and started moving toward the goal of spending 2% of GDP on their military budgets.
However, since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine nearly three years ago, they have agreed that the 2% target should be considered the minimum for defense spending.
While the alliance collectively meets that goal, roughly one-third of its members fail to meet it individually. At least 23 out of 32 members are expected to meet the 2% target this year, according to NATO estimates.
Newly elected United States (U.S.) President Donald Trump, who takes office on January 20th, has threatened that the U.S. will not defend “delinquent” countries.
The alliance is based on the principle that an attack on one member is considered an attack on all, and Trump’s comments have raised fears about whether the U.S. would step in during a crisis.
Rutte, the former Dutch prime minister, urged NATO members to “stop creating barriers between themselves and between industries, banks, and pension funds.” Addressing the defense industry, he said, “The money is on the table, and it will only increase. So dare to innovate and take risks.”
Rutte also warned of a “coordinated campaign to destabilize our societies,” including cyberattacks and assassination attempts.
He further stated that NATO must be clear about China’s ambitions, warning that Beijing is building its forces “without transparency and without limits” and bullying Taiwan.
