NATO General Secretary Mark Rutte has urged the UK and other Western military allies to “turbocharge” their defence spending as he warns that the West is “not ready” for what is to come.
Speaking at the Carnegie Europe think-tank in Brussels on Thursday, he added: “We are not ready for what is coming our way in four to five years.
“It is time to shift to a wartime mindset, and turbocharge our defence production and defence spending.”
NATO expects its member states to spend 2 percent of their GPD on defence but, despite the threats from the east, some countries are still failing to reach this target. The UK currently spends 2.3 percent of its budget on defence. The Labour Government has pledged to raise this to 2.5 percent, but hasn’t provided a timeline for when it will achieve this target.
In light of the threat represented by Russia, members may soon be asked to fork out 3 percent of their GDP.
Pressure on the UK to increase its defence spending is likely to grow when President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House in January.
During his first term in office, Mr Trump was angered by European allies’ reluctance to meet their spending targets.
Mr Trump, who was named Time Magazine’s person of the year this week, challenged the UK and US’s decision to allow Ukraine to strike Russian territory with their weapons.
He said: “We’re just escalating this war and making it worse.”
During his speech, NATO chief Mr Rutte warned that Russia is ramping up its aggression against the West with cyberattacks, misinformation, and other threats.
He added: “How many more wake-up calls do we need? We should be profoundly concerned. I know I am. Russia is preparing for long-term confrontation. With Ukraine, and with us.”
Speaking to the Times, some experts have warned that the UK may need to increase defence spending beyond 3 percent.
A British military source told the paper: “There is a feeling among the military that 2.5 percent isn’t enough and potentially 3 or 4 percent might be required to be leaders in NATO.”
A senior diplomatic source added: “Everybody understands that burden sharing is crucial and 2 or 2.5 might not be sufficient… People wonder what number Trump will say is the new floor.”
The UK’s armed forces have endured numerous rounds of cuts in recent years.
Between 2009/10 and 2016/17, real-terms defence spending fell by 22 percent and the British Army now has just 76,950 personnel as of 2023. This is down from 109,600 personnel in 2000.
