NATO chief urges faster defense production at Ankara summit

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Tuesday urged alliance members and defense manufacturers gathered in Ankara to accelerate production and industrial cooperation, warning that governments must translate higher military spending into concrete capabilities as the alliance confronts an increasingly complex security environment.

Spending commitments

Rutte told defense industry leaders gathered at the NATO Defense Industry Forum that streamlined procurement and expanded production lines are essential to meeting the alliance's growing requirements. "The money is there, and much more is coming," Rutte said, noting that European allies and Canada increased defense spending by nearly 20 percent last year — representing an additional $139 billion — with combined increases for 2025 and 2026 expected to reach $258 billion. Governments and industry have invested $37 billion to strengthen the defense industrial base, while new contracts worth tens of billions covering air defense, drones and ammunition were signed during the forum.

Strategic threats

Rutte warned that NATO cannot afford delays in building capabilities, citing Russia's military buildup, China's expanding nuclear forces, and North Korea's weapons development and its military support for Russia. He noted that recent US military action had significantly degraded Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs but stressed that the alliance must remain vigilant against evolving dangers, adding that NATO is publicly releasing a consolidated demand signal outlining capability requirements to help industry align production with military needs for the first time.

Türkiye's expanding role

Turkish National Defense Minister Yasar Guler said the current security environment demonstrates that a strong defense industry is essential to protecting national sovereignty, asking: "The fundamental question for all of us is: How quickly can we turn our commitments into real capabilities?" Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz described the summit as marking the beginning of "NATO 3.0," noting that Türkiye had become the world's 11th-largest defense exporter with aerospace exports exceeding $11 billion over the past year. Yilmaz called for the removal of restrictions affecting defense trade among allies, arguing that such barriers weaken military readiness while urging deeper cooperation through joint production and development projects.