Washington: NATO member states plan to buy a total of 700 F-35 fighter jets from the United States as part of strengthening the alliance’s military power, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said.
“Allies will invest in more warships and aircraft. To give just one example, America’s Allies will procure at least 700 F-35 fighter jets in total,” Rutte said on Monday, speaking at a conference in London.
He again noted that NATO countries are falling behind Russia and China in military production and confirmed plans to increase spending on militarization.
“Our militaries also need thousands more armored vehicles and tanks. Millions more artillery shells … We will also invest in more drones and long-range missile systems. And invest more in space and cybercapabilities,” Rutte said, adding that the alliance should increase its air and missile defense by 400%.
In early May, the media reported that Rutte had proposed that NATO allies increase their defense spending to 3.5% of GDP and allocate another 1.5% of GDP to additional defence needs to meet US President Donald Trump’s demand for a 5% target. The minimum requirements are expected to be agreed upon at the NATO summit in The Hague on June 24-25.
