We need a 400 percent increase in air defense (air defense), NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said at the opening of an international arms forum in Brussels. He added that allies are increasing defense spending, but security does not come from money, but from military capabilities, BTA reports.
We still need to do much more in terms of producing not only ammunition, but also tanks, armored vehicles, warships and aircraft, for capabilities in cyberspace and space, he added. We need a more capable European defense, with a revival of military production, the Secretary General pointed out.
Over time, NATO will be led more and more by Europe, Rutte said. To be pragmatic, on security issues, the US presence in Europe – conventional and nuclear – remains essential, he added. Rutte noted that Europe is still heavily dependent for certain military capabilities, especially high-tech ones, that are mass-produced only by the US.
Rutte announced that the continent's first factory for the production of "Patriot" missiles will open in September in Europe. He added that a workshop for the production of weapons under European license is also due to open in the US.