NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has emphasized the urgent need for higher defense budgets and accelerated military production in Europe to ensure the continent’s stability.
In an interview with Welt am Sonntag, Rutte stated that simply increasing defense spending is not enough unless accompanied by faster production of military equipment.
“We must spend more on our security. But we also need to rapidly boost our defense production on both sides of the Atlantic. For too long, we have produced too little.”
NATO has highlighted the necessity of increasing production in munitions, naval vessels, tanks, aircraft, satellites, and drones to address potential threats and maintain Europe’s security.
With U.S. President Donald Trump freezing military aid to Ukraine, European nations are intensifying defense spending. In Germany, lawmakers are considering major changes to borrowing rules to fund defense efforts with a €500 billion package.
The European Union is also exploring joint defense credit mechanisms and relaxed budgetary rules to allow member states to increase their defense expenditures.
These measures are expected to be finalized after March 13, before Germany’s new parliament forms on March 25.
