ALBAWABA- NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte issued one of the alliance’s starkest security assessments in years on Wednesday, warning after a meeting of foreign ministers that NATO must rapidly strengthen its military posture to deter both Russia’s war in Ukraine and China’s accelerating military rise.
Speaking following the North Atlantic Council session in Brussels, Rutte revealed that several member states are preparing to introduce compulsory military conscription, while others are debating similar measures or adopting “voluntary but highly incentivized” service models. He cited Germany’s move toward mandatory national service as an example of the shift underway.
“Different countries will choose different paths, but the direction is clear,” he said. “We need significantly larger and better-trained forces.”
Rutte contrasted NATO’s preparedness with Russia’s expanding war economy, noting Moscow now dedicates about 40% of its federal budget, some $200 billion a year, to defense and security. “That is the scale of the threat we face,” he warned.
Reaffirming NATO’s defensive posture, Rutte stressed: “NATO is and will remain a defensive alliance. But we are ready and determined to do whatever it takes to protect our one billion citizens and defend every inch of Allied territory.”
Turning to the Indo-Pacific, he highlighted China’s rapid military expansion: “By the end of this decade, China will have 1,000 nuclear warheads. It already fields more naval vessels than the United States, and some of the world’s biggest defense companies are Chinese.”
He said Beijing’s growth represents “a fundamental shift in the global balance,” citing technology transfers to Russia and a broader Chinese footprint in strategic infrastructure as direct concerns for Euro-Atlantic security.
Ministers also reviewed progress on NATO’s $5 billion Prioritised Ukraine Requirement List and pressed allies to exceed the 2% GDP defense-spending benchmark by 2026.
Rutte said Ukraine must be strengthened “on the battlefield and at the negotiating table,” welcoming U.S. diplomatic efforts but insisting any eventual agreement must guarantee Ukraine’s sovereignty and long-term security.
