NATO Chief To Demand 400% Air Defence Boost Against Russian Threats

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Secretary General Mark Rutte is set to call for a 400% increase in the alliance’s air and missile defence systems, warning that Russia’s threat remains serious beyond the war in Ukraine.

In a speech prepared for delivery at Chatham House in London on Monday, Rutte noted the urgency of upgrading NATO’s defensive shield, citing Russia’s ongoing aerial bombardment campaign in Ukraine.

“We see in Ukraine how Russia delivers terror from above, so we will strengthen the shield that protects our skies,” Rutte is expected to say.

AFP reports that to ensure a reliable defence stance, Rutte will argue that NATO must ramp up its air defence capabilities, stating that “We need a 400% increase in air and missile defence.”

This is coming weeks before a pivotal NATO summit in the Netherlands, where U.S. President Donald Trump is pressing alliance members to substantially raise their defence budgets.

Trump has been advocating for members to spend 5% of their GDP on defence, more than double the current NATO target of 2%.

U.S. Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth recently said that member states are nearing a consensus on the 5% target, which could be officially adopted at the summit in the Netherlands.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, NATO has accelerated efforts to reinforce its military strength.

Rutte warns that the threat will persist even after the fighting ends.

“Danger will not disappear even when the war in Ukraine ends, we need a quantum leap in our collective defence. We must have more forces and capabilities to implement our defence plans in full,” he is expected to say.

He is also expected to call for massive investments in military hardware: “Our militaries need thousands more armoured vehicles and tanks, and millions more artillery shells.”

Rutte will travel to London next week, where he is expected to endorse the UK’s recently announced defence strategy.

The UK has pledged to construct up to 12 nuclear-powered attack submarines and open six new munitions factories, in a significant step to rearm the country and support NATO’s response to Russian aggression.

NATO Chief To Demand 400% Air Defence Boost Against Russian Threats is first published on The Whistler Newspaper