NATO lacks industrial base to deter Russia and others - Rutte
Photo: Mark Rutte (Getty Images)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has stated that Alliance countries lack the industrial base necessary to deter Russia and other threats, according to his interview with The New York Times.
During the interview, Rutte was asked whether Europe would need to introduce military conscription. He replied that some countries would indeed do so.
"No, no, that’s up to the individual countries to decide. Some countries will do it. Finland already has conscription. Others will not do it, but it will mean, in general, paying good salaries for our men and women in uniform," the NATO Secretary General said.
However, what worries him most is the state of the defense industry, which he says is a problem for "across the Alliance." He noted that work is already underway to address the issue.
"We simply lack the defense industrial base to produce the weapons we need to make sure that we can deter the Russians or the North Koreans or whoever to attack us. And this we are working on very quickly now," Rutte said.
What else Rutte said
In the same interview, Mark Rutte also stated that China could push Russia to attack NATO countries as a way to divert the Alliance’s attention from the Asia-Pacific region.
If Beijing were to take such a step, Rutte believes it is highly likely that China would use Moscow to launch an assault on Europe.
He also emphasized that, at present, Vladimir Putin is unlikely to attack Estonia due to NATO’s strong response capabilities and support from the United States.
However, he does not rule out the possibility of such an attack occurring within 5 to 7 years.
