On Monday 9 June, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte urged members to strengthen rapidly the collective defence including air defense network.
Speaking at the Chatham House, Secretary General Rutte said “We see in Ukraine how Russia delivers terror from above, so we will strengthen the shield that protects our skies,”
And he said, “We urged a 400% increase in air and missile defence alongside the doubling of NATO’s enabling capabilities including logistics, supply, transportation, and medical support.” He continued with a call to action. “The fact is, we need a quantum leap in our collective defence.”
NATO is discussing setting a target of 3.5% of GDP for direct military spending and an additional 1.5% for broader security-related expenditures, such as roads, bridges, airfields, and seaports, ahead of the upcoming summit in The Hague, Netherlands, on June 24–25. This move comes as part of efforts to prevent the United States from disengaging from the alliance.
Secretary-General Rutte expressed confidence that member states will agree to the proposed increase in defense spending, calling it “a NATO-wide commitment and a defining moment for the Alliance.”
