NATO boss Rutte confirms plans for massive defense capacity boost

NATO allies will set new defense capability targets at their upcoming defense ministers’ meeting, Secretary-General Mark Rutte announced Wednesday.

“These targets set out what forces and concrete capabilities the allies need to provide to strengthen our deterrence and defense,” Rutte said.

“Air and missile defense, long-range weapons, logistics, large land manoeuvre formations are among our top priorities,” he added.

“We need more resources, forces and capabilities so that we are prepared to face any threat and to implement our collective defense plans in full.”

NATO defense ministers gathering in Brussels on Thursday are expected to formally adopt the top-secret plans.

The new targets are “a huge leap forward” towards a “stronger, fairer and more lethal alliance,” Rutte said.

To ensure that the NATO targets are met, Germany and the other member states will now be assigned new national targets for their military capabilities, including weaponry.

Under the plans, the current targets are to be increased by around 30%, sources told dpa.

The new targets are considered to be a particularly difficult challenge because the existing goals are far from being met. Senior military officials recently spoke of a gap of 30%.

“Obviously, there is still a lot to be done on the current capability targets,” said Rutte, adding that much more was needed to protect the alliance.

“The world is becoming more dangerous,” said Rutte, listing Russia’s war against Ukraine, terrorism and global competition as threats.

To deliver on the new targets, NATO members will have to increase their defense spending, he added.

Allies are expected to make a decision on higher military expenditure at an upcoming leaders’ summit later this month in The Hague.

U.S. President Donald Trump is demanding that the alliance partners spend 5% of their economic output on defense.

Rutte recently proposed a compromise formula of increasing defense-related spending to 3.5% and spending an additional 1.5% on infrastructure. He assumes that the NATO states would agree to this.

“A new defense investment plan will be at the heart of the NATO summit,” Rutte stressed.

The specific new national planning targets are currently still classified as top secret.

However, it is expected that some details will be made public once the targets have been approved by the defense ministers.

For Germany’s military, the Bundeswehr, experts assume that the number of active soldiers – currently around 182,000 – will have to grow by a high five-digit figure if Berlin wants to achieve the planning targets.

Considerable investments in the German military will be needed, including in new air defense systems.