NATO Secretary General Urges Europe to Adopt a Wartime Mindset

What Happened?

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte implored European nations to increase spending on defense and adopt a wartime mindset in a recent speech delivered in Brussels.

Mr. Rutte argued the NATO alliance isn’t doing enough to counter the growing threat from Russia while pointing out the Russian government is already running a wartime economy.

In comments to the BBC after his Brussels speech, Mr. Rutte added ‘Donald Trump was completely right when in his first term he forced us to spend more, he was successful, we are considerably spending more than before he became president, so in that sense he was totally right.’

Why it Matters

Mr. Rutte painted a bleak picture of European security in his Brussels remarks:

‘I’ll be honest: the security situation does not look good. It’s undoubtedly the worst in my lifetime. And I suspect in yours too. From Brussels, it takes one day to drive to Ukraine. One day — That’s how close the Russian bombs are falling. It’s how close the Iranian drones are flying.  And not very much further, the North Korean soldiers are fighting. Every day, this war causes more devastation and death. Every week, there are over 10.000 killed or wounded on all sides in Ukraine. Over 1 million casualties have been caused since February 2022. Putin is trying to wipe Ukraine off the map. He is trying to fundamentally change the security architecture that has kept Europe safe for decades. And he is trying to crush our freedom and way of life.’

The comments from NATO’s Secretary General come as Russia continues its two-year invasion of Ukraine and as incoming U.S. President-Elect Donald Trump prepares to return to office.

While Mr. Trump may not actually try to leave NATO outright, his stated plans thus far indicate a desire to let Europe take more of the lead in its own defense against potential Russian security threats while the U.S. plays more of a supporting role.

Mr. Rutte appears to have gotten the message and is trying to convince other European leaders to pay attention. 

How it Affects You

Mr. Rutte’s call for Europe to increase defense spending beyond the 2% of gross domestic product target already agreed to is ambitious. During the height of the Cold War, European nations spent as much as 3% of gross domestic product on defense, a threshold they are certainly capable of reaching again.

While an increase in European defense spending and capabilities could ease the burden on the United States for Europe’s defense, there are two other considerations to keep in mind.

First, Russia would likely see large increases in European defense spending as a threat and respond in kind.

Second, a heavily militarized Europe caused two world wars in the not so distant twentieth century. While increased defense spending by Europe would good news for the United States, the potential for a war between NATO and Russia remains a real possibility.