NATO to share classified information with defense companies and EU - Bloomberg
NATO starts sharing classified information (photo: Getty Images)
NATO has started the process of sharing some classified information with the defense industry and the European Union. The data will relate to the standardization of weapons and the expansion of production capacities of the Alliance member states, Bloomberg reports.
According to the media outlet's anonymous interlocutors, NATO is preparing a format in which generalized indicators can be safely transferred to defense companies. This will allow manufacturers to better understand the needs of the Alliance and increase production capacity.
The transfer of such data will require consensus among NATO countries. It is expected that it will take several months to finalize the procedures.
NATO has already begun to transfer some classified standards to the EU. In particular, we are talking about military criteria that should ensure the harmonization of member states' armies and interoperability. These standards could cover aspects such as weapon calibers or radio frequencies.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte supports this initiative. He actively encouraged the defense industry to increase production, especially in Europe.
Bloomberg wrote earlier that NATO is considering raising the defense spending rate from 2% to 3% of GDP.
The new US President Donald Trump has also emphasized raising defense spending for NATO countries. It is worth noting that even before his inauguration, Trump allowed for the possibility of his country's withdrawal from NATO. He linked U.S. participation in NATO to funding that, in his view, should be provided by European partners.
However, even then, Trump promised to keep the United States in NATO if the members of the Alliance fulfilled his condition.
As noted in RBC-Ukraine's article, Central and Eastern European countries that have reached the 2% mark are lobbying for further increases in defense spending.
