UK needs 'credible path' on defence spending, says Nato chief
Rutte said British ministers accept yearly steps toward 3.5% of GDP for core defense spending by 2035, but the full pathway waits until next year.
- On Wednesday, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte met Prime Minister Andy Burnham at RAL Space in Didcot, Oxfordshire, praising the UK as "serious about security" and a scientific leader within the alliance.
- Burnham has recommitted to NATO's 3.5% core defence spending target by 2035, with current budgets reaching 2.7% by 2027, though Rutte emphasized the goal requires a "credible path" of yearly increments.
- Former Defence Secretary John Healey resigned over funding pace disputes, while Rutte advised separating defence spending from welfare debates, stressing that economic growth is essential for meeting commitments.
- Rutte highlighted that UK defence investment carries a "societal dividend" through jobs and economic growth, while NATO members agreed to push overall security-related spending to 5% of economic output by 2035.
- Burnham's administration will outline a specific timetable for spending targets during next year's spending review, as Rutte warned NATO must maintain technological edge against Russia amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.
53 Articles
53 Articles
Evening Standard
Nato chief: UK needs credible path of yearly hikes to hit defence spending goal
The UK has so far only budgeted to hike defence spending to 2.7% of GDP by 2027/2028.
According to Mark Rutte, Secretary General of NATO, the West is facing the “most dangerous security situation of this generation,” he announced during his visit to the United Kingdom. It served as a plea to convince the British to invest more in defense so that Europe takes the lead in defending its own continent.
NATO needs "more involvement from the United Kingdom and Europe to face the most dangerous security environment facing the West in a generation," the Alliance's Secretary General said on Wednesday during a visit to the United Kingdom, reports The Guardian.
NATO Secretary General Says Security Situation in Europe Has Not Been This Dangerous in a Generation
According to Mark Rutte, in the changed security environment, Europe must take on a greater share of its own defense and permanently increase its military spending.
Mark Rutte called on the European armed forces to "provide the military power NATO needs" in the face of geopolitical uncertainty on the continent.
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