Atlantic Council Front Page Conversation with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte

Fred, thank you so much for that, for the introduction.
And good afternoon, everyone here in this room.
It's great to be back in Washington, and here with you at the Atlantic Council.
Let me first say, the Atlantic Council has been an indispensable intellectual partner to the Alliance for over six decades now. When we need rigorous, honest debate and analysis, the Atlantic Council delivers.
It doesn't just study the Alliance, it strengthens it.
So really, Fred, thank you for your leadership.

It is wonderful to have the chance to connect with so many old friends today and to take stock of where the Alliance stands less than two weeks ahead of the NATO Summit in Ankara.
In Ankara, we are going to show the world that we are delivering on the commitments we made in The Hague last year.
We will breathe life into the concept of NATO 3.0: a stronger Europe in a stronger NATO.
We are going to show just how powerful NATO is.
And how ready and determined we are to defend all our citizens and every inch of our territory.

And today I will describe what I expect out of this Summit.

First, I expect an incredible transformation in defence investment.

As those looking to spend an afternoon at the Atlantic Council well know, last year in The Hague, we agreed to invest 5% of GDP in defence by 2035.
A historic decision. And a daunting, if essential, undertaking.

The direction of travel is clear and Allies are stepping up.
Several nations, including Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, are already spending well over the agreed targets. And they are moving with speed to continue investing more.
That is conviction.
Others are making remarkable strides. Like Germany, which is on track to double its investment in defence by 2029 from just a few years ago.
This will amount to over 150 billion euros per year.
That is magnitude.
These countries are leading by example.
And it is just the beginning. In Ankara, Allies will put forward concrete plans for increased investment.

Those of you who have been following NATO for a while now understand just how profound a change this is.
After years and years and years of under investment, we've seen a sea change in the approach to defence spending.
Over the last decade - from 2016 to 2026 - European Allies and Canada have spent an extra 1.2 trillion US dollars on defence.
1.2 trillion - with a "T".
And in 2025 alone, they increased their defence investment by nearly 20%.
That equates to 139 billion additional dollars invested. In one year.
That is transformative.

Who would have imagined, a decade ago, that we would get this far? We couldn't even have the conversation.
And yet, here we are:
Allies united around the imperative to invest in our security.
Committed to fairly sharing the responsibility.
Strong and getting stronger.

The threats we face are a key factor in this mindset shift.
But I am also convinced that we would not have made such an astounding leap without President Trump's leadership.

Every US administration since President Eisenhower's called on America's Allies to invest more and take burden sharing seriously.
One President got them to do it.
I understand that some chafe at this observation.
But the reality is that European Allies and Canada are on a trajectory to equalise their defence spending with the United States.
And not just that.
They are taking on more leadership within NATO's command and control structure.
Stepping up on conventional defence - including on efforts to bolster our deterrence and defence along the eastern flank, in the Baltic region and in the Arctic.
And spearheading support to Ukraine.
And this is NATO 3.0.
A stronger Europe in a stronger NATO.
Conviction of purpose, magnitude of investment, true transformation.
Now, we need supply to meet demand.
And this brings me to my second point.

In Ankara, I expect to see industry and innovation engaged to help us deliver the capabilities that credible deterrence and successful defence demand.

Allies are investing a whole lot more. The budgets are there.
But the assets we need - the capabilities to deter and defend - simply aren't available at the scale or speed that our security requires.
Now, it's true that our industries, on both sides of the Atlantic, have already added production lines to accelerate supply, that's important. But we need a whole lot more.
And it's not only about inventory - it's also about innovation.
It is about delivering effects. Finding novel solutions to deal more efficiently and effectively with the security threats we all face.
What we need - and what we're working to foster - is a real transatlantic defence industrial revolution.
Here, allow me to again thank the Atlantic Council for its thought leadership in this space. The team at the Reimagining European Defense and Innovation, or REDI, Task Force are helping us to navigate these complex challenges.
To scale up production, spark innovation, and outsmart our competitors.

And who is our competition?
Russia remains our current and long-term threat. It is investing 40% of its budget in defence. Churning out military equipment around the clock. And learning quickly from the war it's waging against Ukraine.
China continues to modernise its forces and to expand its nuclear capabilities without any transparency, investing massively in military technology and innovation.
North Korea persists in growing its nuclear programme. And is gaining valuable experience from supporting Russia's war against Ukraine.
And then there is Iran. For well over a decade, Allies have agreed that Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon. Recent US action has severely degraded Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programme, but we must remain vigilant.

On their own, it's already an issue. But these countries are working together.
And we can easily agree that they don't have our best interests in mind.

That's what we are up against.

And there is absolutely no doubt that we, collectively, have everything we need to succeed.
But we need to ensure that we are translating our economic might into military capabilities.
This means overcoming fragmented national defence industries basically the other side of the Atlantic , cutting red tape right here in Washington and keeping innovation front and centre.

Across the Alliance, I can see that we are finally beginning to take those steps.
For example, last year, I visited a new Rheinmetall ammunition factory in Germany. This is a factory that went from blueprints to brick and mortar in just over a year.
That is speed.
That factory will soon produce 350 thousand artillery rounds per year.
That is skill.

This spring, I spoke with talented young engineers at ASELSAN, Türkiye's largest defence electronics company. They are driving Türkiye's defence industrial revolution, which will benefit every member of our Alliance.
And here in the United States, spurred by President Trump's leadership, we see household names like Lockheed, RTX, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, and General Dynamics massively ramping up their production to meet this moment.
We also see newer firms like Anduril, Palantir, and Divergent Technologies innovating on tech and production methods at pace and with purpose.

That is revolution.

Bottom line - the prospects are plentiful.
And in Ankara, we will provide the platform to showcase how we're seizing the opportunities and making this revolution a reality.
We will announce tens of billions of dollars of new contracts.
And when our industries from Arlington to Ankara combine their strengths and step up supply, the result is not only improved security.
We are in the early stages of a defence industrial revolution that will help grow our economies and support hundreds of thousands of jobs, on both sides of the Atlantic.
And this is the defence dividend.

My third point is Ukraine.
Five years into Russia's war, Ukraine is not only standing strong, but it is reminding us all of the power of principle.
That freedom is worth fighting for - no matter the odds.
President Zelenskyy will join us in Ankara, and I expect to show him and all Ukrainians that our support endures.
And remind President Putin that we are not going anywhere.

Earlier this month, I was back in Kyiv.
I was there with the entire North Atlantic Council for the first iteration of the NATO-Ukraine Council ever held in Ukraine. A strong message of the enduring bond between NATO and Ukraine.
We arrived in Kyiv in the wake of yet another massive Russian missile and drone attack.
This time, Russians struck a shopping centre. And more recently, they hit a historic monastery - a UNESCO world heritage site.
These are the brutal acts of a weakened Russia.
They hurt - of course. But they don't deter Ukrainians, who are fighting relentlessly to defend their freedom.
And we must be just as relentless in supporting them.

And for this, all Allies need to pull their weight.
America's Allies and partners have contributed billions of dollars worth of essential equipment to Ukraine through the PURL programme - which President Trump and I launched last July.
It's the initiative through which Ukraine receives nearly 90% of its air defences, including the Patriot interceptors. These are essential to counter the ballistic missiles that Russia uses to target Ukraine's cities and civilian infrastructure.
This support continues to flow.
And PURL is just one avenue through which Allies support Ukraine.
There's the Czech Ammunition Initiative.
Defence industrial partnerships.
The list goes on.

And as we continue to support Ukraine, we are also learning essential lessons from their battlefield experience, especially when it comes to the use of drones and counter-drone technology.
This is a threat we all face. And no one has better experience here than Ukraine.

So, we will continue to stand with Ukraine.
Our security is interlinked.
Ukraine has shown that they won't be deterred by Russia's aggression.
We will continue to show that we, as an Alliance with Ukraine, won't be either.

So that's the overview.
Transformation in defence investment.
Revolution in defence industry.
Affirmation of our enduring support to Ukraine.
This is foundational.
Now, the implementation of NATO 3.0, like any major change, comes with uncertainty as we pave a new path.
An Alliance that is less dependent on the United States, but on which US remains firmly rooted.
Ankara is about recognising that we are committed to this truly transformational way forward.
It takes heart, it takes guts.
Allies have made clear that they are fully in.
And as a European, let me say, I'm particularly proud to see this step change to a stronger Europe in a stronger NATO. NATO 3.0.

Thank you so much.