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"The summit next week will focus on turning extra spending into combat-ready capabilities, and significantly scaling up our defence industries," said Mark Rutte.
Rutte emphasized that European allies and Canada are assuming greater conventional defense responsibilities while preserving the core transatlantic structure of the alliance.
"NATO is, and will always be, a transatlantic alliance but we need to rebalance it for the better," said Rutte.
The Secretary General further noted that the rebalancing initiatives are focused entirely on structural execution rather than the static physical location of active forces.
Rutte previously reported that European members and Canada raised their collective defense spending by $90 billion in 2025, bringing the total regional expenditure to over $570 billion.
"This is not about where forces and assets are currently located," said Rutte. "It's about who would do what if our defense plans were activated.
So, let's say in case of an Article 5 situation."
Diplomats acknowledge that while European capitals have met their airspace and base access obligations, underlying disagreements regarding recent U.
S. military operations in Iran continue to stress diplomatic ties.
An anonymous European diplomat described the alliance as functionally operational but visibly strained by the geopolitical friction of the past 12 months.
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"The alliance is alive and kicking but a bit bruised," said the diplomat.
