NATO Secretary General: speeding up defence production is essential

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On Wednesday (10 June 2026), NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte called for the defence industry to speed up production and innovation across the Alliance. Speaking at the Transatlantic Defense Industry Access Forum, Mr. Rutte urged industry to deliver more firepower faster, noting that “when you, all of you, produce more, our deterrence and defence posture is stronger, and we are all safer.”

The event at NATO Headquarters, organised by the United States, brought together over 50 U.S. companies and Belgian industry representatives to strengthen transatlantic defence cooperation. The Secretary General highlighted the 5% GDP defence investment plan agreed by Allies at the NATO Summit in The Hague last year, and he pointed to the upcoming Ankara Summit as the moment for concrete deliverables. “Cash is crucial. But next month’s Summit in Ankara will not only be about cash, it has to be about the combat ready capabilities and significantly scaling up our defence industries,” he said.

The Secretary General stressed that investment in the defence industry was good for security, economies and jobs. He also emphasised the importance of transatlantic defence cooperation. “The bottom line is that our defence - this is my absolute conviction - is strongest when we combine the ideas, when we combine the assets, the industries we have across the Alliance on both sides of the Atlantic,” Mr. Rutte said.