NATO warns of the need to ’prepare for war’ and admits ’we’re not ready for what’s coming’
Britain and other members of Nato have been urged to shift to a ‘wartime mindset’ amid the ongoing threats from Russia.
In one of his most dire warnings since heading the military alliance, Mark Rutte admitted that the global security situation is the ‘worst in his lifetime.’
He said that nations are not ready for what is coming and said that much higher defence spending is needed to keep the enemy at bay.
Considering that during the Cold War, Europeans spent more than 3% of GDP on defence, Rutte said that much more would be needed in the future
The alliance estimates 23 of its 32 members will meet the 2% target this year.
Members are also barely grappling with renewed pressure from Donald Trump, who has called for allies to spend 3% of GDP on defence.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin dedicated 5.9% of its GDP on defence last year. Vladimir Putin also has the support of allies like China, Iran and North Korea.
‘Russia is preparing for long-term confrontation, with Ukraine and with us,’ Rutte said in a speech in Brussels.
‘We are not ready for what is coming our way in four to five years.’
He added: ‘It is time to shift to a wartime mindset and turbocharge defence production and defence spending.’
Rutte, a former Dutch prime minister, said that the alliance must step up on defence production, calling on governments to ‘stop creating barriers between each other and between industries, banks and pension funds’.
He sent a message to the defence industry: ‘There is money on the table, and it will only increase. So dare to innovate and take risks.’
The Nato chief also warned of a ‘coordinated campaign to destabilise our societies’ including cyberattacks and assassination attempts.
He listed Russia’s attacks on Georgia in 2008, the annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014, and the all-out invasion launched almost three years ago.
‘How many more wake-up calls do we need? We should be profoundly concerned. I know I am,’ he said.
Rutte also cautioned about China’s ambitions, saying that it is substantially building up its forces ‘with no transparency and no limitations’.
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