NATO is asking European member states to expand their ground-based air defense capabilities fivefold, as the alliance seeks to fill a key gap in response to the threat of Russian aggression. This was reported to Bloomberg by sources familiar with the matter, reports UNN.
Details
The issue of the build-up will be discussed at a meeting of defense ministers of the member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Brussels on Thursday, sources said on condition of anonymity, as the discussions are taking place behind closed doors.
The fivefold target will be collective for the European member states of the alliance, and individual levels will vary in the end, sources said. The timing of the air defense efforts was not clearly defined.
Ministers this week are already set to approve one of the most ambitious commitments to increase arms stockpiles since the Cold War as part of European and Canadian efforts to rearm and reduce their reliance on US defense systems. The Brussels meeting will lay the groundwork for a leaders' summit on June 24-25 in The Hague.
The increase in armaments is part of a broader ambition to increase defense spending across the alliance. Under the leadership of US President Donald Trump, NATO members are uniting around the goal of spending 5% of their economic output — 3.5% on core defense and another 1.5% on defense-related spending in areas such as infrastructure, cyber defense and civil readiness.
"We are not at war, but we are not at peace either," NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said at a meeting in Vilnius on Monday. "We must continue to strengthen our deterrence and defense forces, and this means moving to full combat readiness."
According to a senior European military official, NATO members are in dire need of ground-based air defense systems that protect against threats, including increasingly sophisticated drones, missiles and fighters.
According to the official, the alliance has reduced its use of such systems over the past three decades as NATO's focus has shifted beyond the Cold War to focus on threats in the Middle East and North Africa.
Rutte: NATO allies need to invest in arms production for peace26.05.25, 20:17 • [views_3226]