Rutte spoke about the discussion at the NATO summit on the overload of defense industry capacities

The increased burden on the military-industrial complex of NATO countries due to the conflict in Ukraine, as well as limited military recruitment and training capabilities, will be the topics of discussion at the upcoming summit of the North Atlantic Alliance. This was announced on July 5 by the Secretary General of the alliance Mark Rutte.

"Overcoming these obstacles" is a key issue that we should discuss next week," he said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

According to him, one of the main obstacles is the production facilities of the defense industry, which are already operating at the limit of their capabilities due to the support of Ukraine and the need to replenish ammunition stocks after their significant expenditure during the war with Iran. The second limitation remains the insufficient capacity to recruit and train new military personnel.

The United States wants to reduce the volume of military forces for NATO operations in Europe. What does this mean?

Former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on July 5 that the existence of the North Atlantic Alliance in the future is not guaranteed. He called on European NATO countries to increase defense spending in order to prevent a possible US withdrawal from the alliance.

On June 18, Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth sharply criticized some NATO members for insufficient defense spending and their position on the war with Iran, and also announced a review of the details of the presence of American armed forces in Europe. He stressed that defense spending commitments mean turning the alliance back into a military one focused on hard power and real deterrence.