NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte called for Europe to enter a “wartime mindset” during a speech to security experts in Brussels.
“It’s time to shift to a wartime mindset and turbocharge defense production and spending,” he said.
“I know spending more on defense means spending less on other priorities. But it is only a little less,” Rutte added. “On average, European countries easily spend up to a quarter of their national income on pensions, health and social security systems. We need a small fraction of that money to make our defenses much stronger, and to preserve our way of life.”
Rutte further said, according to the Associated Press, that “[w]hat is happening in Ukraine could happen here too, and regardless of the outcome of this war, we will not be safe in the future unless we are prepared to deal with danger.”
The statement mirrors recent comments by Dutch Admiral Rob Bauer, NATO’s military committee chairperson.
He warned attendees at a European Policy Center think tank event that businesses will need to “adjust their production & distribution lines accordingly. Because while it may be the military who wins battles, it’s the economies that win wars.”
“We thought we had a deal with Gazprom, but we actually had a deal with Mr. Putin. And the same goes for Chinese-owned infrastructure and goods. We actually have a deal with [Chinese President] Xi [Jinping],” Bauer said.
“If we can make sure that all crucial services and goods can be delivered no matter what, then that is a key part of our deterrence,” he noted.
