Urooj NazirNATO chief urges a change to a warfare mindset, saying, “We are not ready for what is coming our way.”
The chief of NATO has cautioned that the alliance has to adopt a wartime mentality because it is not prepared for the challenges that Russia will pose in the years to come.
The organization’s secretary general, Mark Rutte, claimed that during the Cold War, NATO nations had spent over 3% of GDP on defense and contended that future expenditure would need to be significantly higher than the alliance’s present 2% goal.
“Russia is preparing for long-term confrontation, with Ukraine and with us,” Mr. Rutte stated in a speech before the Brussels meeting.
“We are not ready for what is coming our way in four to five years.”
He stated: “It is time to shift to a wartime mindset, and turbocharge our defense production and defence spending.”
“Worst in my lifetime” is how Mr. Rutte described the current state of security.
Following Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula ten years ago, NATO leaders decided to stop the defense budget cuts that started when the Cold War ended and move toward allocating 2% of GDP to military spending.
However, they have decided that the 2% target should be the minimum for defense spending ever since Russia invaded Ukraine over three years ago.
Although the alliance as a whole hits that goal, about one-third of its members fail to do so. The alliance predicts that at least 23 of its 32 countries will reach the 2% goal this year.
The US would not defend “delinquent” nations, according to threats made by US president-elect Donald Trump, who takes office on January 20.
Since the alliance is based on the idea that an attack on one member is an attack on all of them, Mr. Trump’s remarks sparked concerns about whether the US would step in to provide assistance in an emergency.
“Stop creating barriers between each other and between industries, banks, and pension funds,” urged former Dutch Prime Minister Mr. Rutte, in a statement.
“There is money on the table, and it will only increase,” he said in a message to the defense sector. So have the courage to be creative and take chances.
A “coordinated campaign to destabilize our societies,” which included assassination attempts and hacking, was another threat that Mr. Rutte underlined.
Additionally, he warned that Beijing is expanding its troops “with no transparency and no limitations” and pressuring Taiwan and that NATO needs to be realistic about China’s aspirations.
