Europe needs to spend more on defence, NATO chief says

EUROPE needs to spend a lot more than 2 per cent of its GDP on defence, NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte says.

He was speaking at a conference organised by the Carnegie Europe think-tank in Brussels late last week.

He told governments of the alliance that defence industries need big orders and long-term contracts to produce the advanced military capabilities that will be needed.

“Buying only big-ticket items that are delivered too late will not keep us safe,” he says.

“We also need modern capabilities that use the most advanced technologies and we need them now.”

EARLIER: We must be ready for war, says Rutte

DEFENCE SPENDING

He says that while European defence spending now is the highest it has been in a decade, it’s not as great during the Cold War (more than 3 per cent of GDP) although the threat is “just as big if not bigger”.

In 2023, NATO Allies agreed to invest ‘at least’ 2 per cent of GDP: “I can tell you, we are going to need a lot more than 2 per cent,” he  said.

He advocated the diverting “a small fraction” of national incomes on pensions, health and social security to strengthen defences.

Rutte says Ukraine is allocating nearly a quarter of its GDP for defence next year, more than 10 times what NATO Allies spend.

He also reserved a rebuke to opponents of defence spending.

“Some people … think strong defence is not the way to peace. Well, they are wrong because without strong defence, there is no lasting security.”

He went on: “Those who lived through the Second World War know this and our Ukrainian friends are living it every day”.

“War is brutal and ugly. War is also very costly in economic terms.

“If we don’t spend more together now to prevent war, we will pay a much, much, much higher price later to fight it,” Rutte says.
“Not billions but trillions of euros. That’s if we come out on top…and that’s if we win.”