Bloomberg: NATO calls on Europe to quintuple ground-based air defenсe against Russian threat

NATO is urging its European member countries to increase their ground-based air-defence capabilities by five times, aiming to address a critical gap in response to the threat posed by Russia.

The proposed expansion will be a key topic at a meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels on June 5, with discussions taking place behind closed doors and sources speaking anonymously, Caliber.Az reports via Bloomberg.

The fivefold increase refers to the collective goal for all European member states, though individual countries’ contributions may differ. The exact timeline for achieving this target has not been specified. This week, ministers are expected to approve one of the most ambitious efforts to boost weapons stockpiles since the Cold War, as part of initiatives by European countries and Canada to rearm and reduce their reliance on US defence systems.

The Brussels meeting will set the stage for the NATO leaders’ summit scheduled for June 24-25 in The Hague. The increase in weaponry forms part of NATO’s broader goal to boost defense spending throughout the alliance. Driven by US President Donald Trump, member countries are aligning around a target of dedicating 5 per cent of their economic output to defense—3.5 per cent for core military capabilities and an additional 1.5 per cent for related areas such as infrastructure, cyber defense, and civilian preparedness.

“We are not at war, but we’re not at peace either,” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated during a meeting in Vilnius. “We must continue to strengthen our deterrence and defense, which means shifting toward full war-fighting readiness.”

According to a senior European military official, NATO members urgently need to expand their ground-based air-defense systems to protect against increasingly advanced threats, including drones, missiles, and fighter jets. Over the past thirty years, the alliance has reduced focus on these systems as its attention moved beyond the Cold War’s European theater toward challenges in the Middle East and North Africa, the official added.

This calculation has shifted since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with growing concerns among NATO members on the alliance’s eastern border that the Kremlin could be just a few years away from launching an attack. Air-defense systems are a key focus of the buildup and rank among the costliest equipment the alliance plans to acquire.

Germany has proposed leading joint European Union air defense initiatives, responding to Brussels’ call for collective investment in shared priorities. Chancellor Friedrich Merz is committed to speeding up Germany’s defense spending increase and allocating billions of euros toward enhancing air defense, according to a source close to discussions in Berlin. This plan will involve expanding the European Sky Shield initiative, originally launched by Merz’s predecessor, Olaf Scholz. 

Supported by NATO, the project seeks to develop a ground-based European air defense system designed to intercept ballistic missiles. When asked for comment, a NATO official stated that air and missile defense, long-range weaponry, logistics, and land forces “are among our top priorities.”

“We continue to revise our force posture, modernize our command structure and strengthen our integrated air and missile defense,” the official added.

By Naila Huseynova