NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte emphasized on July 7, 2026, at the NATO Summit Defense Industry Forum in Ankara that a fundamental transformation in transatlantic defense industry is essential. Rutte stated, "The hum of machinery must become a roar," highlighting that more aggressive production and investment strategies are mandatory in the defense sector. In his remarks, he noted that defense industries across all allied nations must be prepared to take greater risks, as demand is clearly present.

NATO and allied nations made significant decisions on defense investments. Notably, it was announced that 40 billion dollars will be invested over five years in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) defense capabilities. Rutte stated that NATO is rapidly expanding its ability to deploy and operate UAVs at scale while simultaneously building robust counter-UAV defenses to detect, identify, and neutralize hostile drones. Allies will invest over 40 billion dollars in counter-drone capabilities over the next five years and will increase operational training for soldiers.

Russia's repeated violations of allied airspace with UAVs underscored NATO's urgent need in this domain. The alliance has occasionally been forced to shoot down UAVs with fighter jets, raising questions about the effectiveness of the current defense approach. In response, allies are planning to purchase up to 10 Saab GlobalEye aircraft to modernize NATO's fleet of 14 AWACS early warning radar surveillance planes, which are approximately 50 years old.

Rutte emphasized that removing administrative obstacles is of critical importance. Stating "We need a bonfire of red tape in our procurement and cross-border regulation," he said both governments and industry must continue investing in production capacity. Governments must create conditions for industry to expand and cooperate. Although European allies and Canada reported a 20 percent annual increase in defense spending (an additional 139 billion dollars) in 2025, industrial capacities must grow rapidly to meet rising demand.

NATO will release for the first time a "consolidated demand signal" outlining its requirements. Allied nations aim to spend 5 percent of gross domestic product on defense and related expenses by 2035. Rutte concluded, "We are moving in the right direction. The strategy is clear, but the match is far from over. To win it, we need all team members to pull their weight," emphasizing NATO's commitment to rapidly increasing defense capacity.