NATO Chief Warns Alliance Not Ready for Future Threats From Russia, China

NATO countries need to ramp up their defense spending and “shift to a wartime mindset” because the alliance is not ready to meet future military threats from adversaries like Russia and China, newly installed NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Thursday.

In his first public appearance in Brussels since becoming chief of the U.S.-led security alliance, Mr. Rutte noted that NATO members earmarked upwards of 3% of their GDP to defense during the Cold War.

“We are not ready for what is coming our way in four to five years. Danger is moving toward us at full speed,” Mr. Rutte said during a speech hosted by the Carnegie Europe think tank. “We must not look the other way. We must face it.”

He said Russian arms factories are churning out war equipment around the clock while China’s military-industrial base also is growing. Beijing is heavily investing in munitions, accelerating its space capabilities and expanding its nuclear arsenal.

“Our defense industry here in Europe has been hollowed out by decades of underinvestment and narrow national industrial interests. Our industry is too small, too fragmented, and too slow,” Mr. Rutte said. “According to some sources, China is acquiring high-end weapons systems and equipment five to six times faster than the U.S.” (Read more from “NATO Chief Warns Alliance Not Ready for Future Threats From Russia, China” HERE)

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