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NATO demands 400% arms buildup as Russia outpaces West


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Summary

Increasing military defenses

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is calling for a 400% increase in air and missile defense spending to counter rising Russian threats. He also proposed a compromise to meet Trumpโ€™s 5% GDP spending goal โ€” 3.5% for military needs and 1.5% for civil resilience.

Russia to outpace NATO

Russia is expected to build 1,500 tanks, 3,000 armored vehicles and 200 Iskander missiles in 2025, outpacing NATOโ€™s current capabilities.

UK, Germany boost

The U.K. and Germany plan to increase defense spending to 2.5% and 3.5% of GDP, respectively, with Germany also expanding its civil defense infrastructure. France, Italy and Spain are following suit with increases through 2027.


Full story

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte urged member states to increase air and missile defense spending by 400%, calling it essential to counter Russian threats and meet U.S. expectations. Rutte spoke at Chatham House in London on Monday, June 9, and said Europe needs a major step forward in military readiness and joint defense to prepare for future conflicts.

Facing rising security threats, Rutte’s speech, โ€œBuilding a Better NATO,โ€ detailed his goals for the Alliance ahead of an upcoming summit in The Hague.

โ€œWe see in Ukraine how Russia delivers terror from above, so we will strengthen the shield that protects our skies,โ€ Rutte said in prepared remarks. He warned that the danger from Russia will remain even if the war in Ukraine ends.

Rutte said NATOโ€™s latest battle plans and capability targets require tens of thousands of armored vehicles, millions of artillery shells and a sharp expansion in logistics and cyber capacity. He cited Russian rearmament and noted that Moscow was expected to produce 1,500 tanks, 3,000 armored vehicles and 200 Iskander missiles in 2025 alone.

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American allies are projected to jointly procure at least 700 F-35s and expand their inventories of drones and long-range missile systems.

How does this relate to Trumpโ€™s defense spending demands?

Rutte’s proposal aligned with a broader push to meet President Donald Trumpโ€™s call for NATO members to spend 5% of their GDP on defense. To address concerns from allies, Rutte proposed a compromise: 3.5% on direct military spending and 1.5% on broader security measures, including civil infrastructure upgrades and cyber defense.

Currently, NATO guidelines require a country to allocate at least 2% of its GDP to defense. Only 22 of the allianceโ€™s 32 members meet that threshold, according to NATO data. Every NATO country falls short of Trumpโ€™s 5% defense spending goal.

How are European countries responding?

The call came hours after Ukrainian officials reported one of the largest drone assaults of the war. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 479 Russian attack drones overnight on June 9, according to the countryโ€™s air force. The scale of the strike triggered Polish and allied fighter jets to scramble in nearby airspace as a precaution.

The U.K. announced plans to raise defense spending from 2.3% to 2.5% of GDP by 2027, with a goal of reaching 3% at a later date. Meanwhile, Poland led NATO in defense spending, contributing more than 4% of its GDP, while the U.S. spent around 3.2%, according to NATO estimates.

Germany planned to increase its military spending to 3% of GDP by 2027 and 3.5% in the years that follow, according to economic forecasts from Goldman Sachs Research. The spending hike is part of a broader fiscal package backed by Chancellor Friedrich Merzโ€™s coalition, which exempts defense outlays above 1% of GDP from the countryโ€™s debt.

In addition to boosting its armed forces, Germany is reviving its civil defense infrastructure. The country currently operates only 580 bunkers โ€” enough to shelter about 5% of its population. Officials aim to create 1 million new shelter spaces by retrofitting metro stations, tunnels and public buildings. The project could cost up to $45 billion over the next decade.

France, Italy and Spain are also expected to increase military spending by 0.3 percentage points above previous forecasts, reaching 2.9%, 2.8% and 2.7% of GDP, respectively, by 2027.

Why is urgency growing now?

European officials said the timeline for a potential renewed Russian military buildup could be as short as four years. As NATO braces for the future, Rutte emphasized that โ€œhope is not a strategyโ€ and called for immediate investment in deterrence.

Cole Lauterbach (Managing Editor), Alex Delia (Deputy Managing Editor), Lawrence Banton (Digital Producer), and Emma Stoltzfus (Video Editor) contributed to this report.
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Why this story matters

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte's call for a dramatic increase in air and missile defense spending underscores escalating security concerns in Europe and highlights changing expectations for allied defense commitments in response to Russian military threats.

Defense spending

Increasing defense expenditures is central to NATO's strategy for improving military readiness and meeting both internal targets and the expectations set forth by the U.S. and President Donald Trump.

Russian military threat

The perceived and ongoing threat from Russia, illustrated by recent attacks and stated rearmament plans, is a primary driver for NATO's proposed increases in defensive capabilities and allied coordination.

Alliance unity and adaptation

As European countries respond to NATO's calls for greater investment and coordination, the debate over spending targets and the distribution of responsibilities is shaping the alliance's future posture and cohesion.

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Context corner

NATO's spending targets and defense upgrades arise in the context of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which has shifted European security priorities. Historical reliance on the U.S. for military support has renewed debates within NATO about fair burden-sharing, as political pressures in the U.S. have pushed European nations to assume more responsibility for their own defense.

Global impact

The calls for greater NATO military spending have global implications: they affect alliance unity, defense industries and international security standards. Increased spending and production could shift resource allocations in Europe, influence transatlantic relations and send signals to other powers like China and North Korea about NATOโ€™s posture.

Quote bank

Notable quotes include: "Wishful thinking will not keep us safe. We cannot dream away the danger. Hope is not a strategy. So NATO has to become a stronger, fairer and more lethal alliance," said Mark Rutte. A Kremlin spokesman responded, describing the plan as "confrontational and at the expense of European taxpayers."

Bias comparison

  • Media outlets on the left framed NATOโ€™s call for a 400% increase in air and missile defense as a necessary but cautionary response to Russian โ€œterror from aboveโ€ in Ukraine, emphasizing moral concerns and critiquing U.S.-driven pressure that โ€œsidelines Europe.โ€ They use emotionally charged language like โ€œterrorโ€ and โ€œquantum leapโ€ to signal urgency mixed with skepticism about militarization.
  • Not enough coverage from media outlets in the center to provide a bias comparison.
  • Media outlets on the right depicted the spending increase as a positive โ€œboostโ€ and โ€œmassive expansionโ€ to counter not only Russia but also an emergent Chinese threat, employing alarmist terms such as โ€œWW3 fearsโ€ and framing NATOโ€™s military buildup as vital defense.

Media landscape

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Key points from the Left

  • NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte plans to call for a 400% increase in air and missile defenses to counter threats from Russia.
  • Rutte aims for NATO to make a "quantum leap in our collective defense" amid increasing instability and threats.
  • U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged to increase British defense spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 and 3% by 2034.
  • Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov criticized the NATO plans as confrontational and stated they would burden European taxpayers.

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Key points from the Center

  • NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte urged the alliance to quadruple its capabilities in air and missile defense ahead of the June 24-25 summit in The Hague.
  • He linked this call to the growing Russian threat and U.S. pressure, notably President Donald Trumpโ€™s demand for members to spend 5% of GDP on defense.
  • European NATO countries, including the U.K. which recently unveiled plans for nuclear submarines and increased spending, have coordinated to strengthen their defenses.
  • Rutte warned that simply hoping for safety is insufficient and stressed that the alliance requires thousands of additional armored vehicles, millions more artillery shells, and a substantial boost in missile defense capabilities.
  • The summit aims to formalize the 5% defense spending target, marking a shift from the previous 2% goal to enhance NATOโ€™s readiness amid ongoing European security threats.

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Key points from the Right

  • NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte proposed increasing member countries' defense spending to 5% of GDP, including 3.5% for core defense and 1.5% for investment by 2032.
  • Rutte stated that NATO members must expand air and missile defenses by 400% to counter threats from Russia and China, emphasizing the need for a stronger defense strategy.
  • U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced plans to boost British defense spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 and 3% by 2034, responding to pressure for military enhancements.
  • Rutte expressed confidence that NATO members would agree to the increased spending targets at the upcoming summit in The Hague on June 24-25.

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