07.07.2026 17:51
Speaking at the Defense Industry Forum held in Ankara within the framework of the 36th NATO Summit of Heads of State and Government, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte emphasized the importance of building cooperation between NATO and the defense industry. Calling on allied countries and defense companies to take more risks in investments and to realize a 'Transatlantic defense industry revolution,' Rutte said, 'The hum of machines must turn into a roar.'
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte spoke at the Defense Industry Forum held in Ankara within the framework of the 36th NATO Summit of Heads of State and Government, alongside Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz and Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler.
HE EXPLAINED COMMON SECURITY THROUGH THE "WORLD CUP"
Stating that he wanted to make an analogy with NATO while the 2026 FIFA World Cup was ongoing, Rutte said that no team wins thanks to just one player; they need a goalkeeper, defenders, midfielders, and forwards.
Rutte pointed out that while goal scorers attract attention, every country has backups, coaches, trainers, and analysts alongside successful players, everyone including those working behind the scenes is important, and no one can win alone.
Emphasizing that the same is true for NATO, Rutte underlined that deterrence and defense require a complete team effort.
Rutte stated that political leaders guide in this context, while armed forces are on the field, and explained that the defense industry provides the force behind the team with equipment, innovation, and production capacity.
Noting that the needed resilience and strength come from the industry in this context, and thus team play is possible, Rutte expressed that they can work together for common security in this way.
"THE HUM OF MACHINES MUST TURN INTO A ROAR"
Rutte emphasized that building cooperation between NATO and the industry in this context is very important, and recalled that since he assumed the post of Secretary General in 2024, he has visited factories and companies across the Alliance, including those in Turkey.
Stating that he met with employees and engineers during these visits and had the opportunity to see and observe innovation firsthand, Rutte said that within the scope of this forum, he saw how the partnership is put into action, and that this is teamwork.
Rutte described this team as "a team that knows how to score goals," and said, "At the NATO Summit in The Hague last year, allies made important commitments. One of them was the commitment to invest 5% of gross domestic product in defense. Commitments to accelerate production and innovation followed. A year later, we are already starting to see the results."
Stating that last year alone, allies in Europe and Canada spent 20% more on defense compared to a year earlier, Rutte said, "We are talking about an extra 139 billion dollars. When we look at 2025 and combine it with 2026, again looking at Canada and Europeans, we see an increase of 258 billion dollars."
Noting that this is only additional investment, Rutte stated that existing funds must be used correctly to enable defense and ensure deterrence.
Addressing companies at the forum, Rutte said, "The hum of machines must turn into a roar. The industry of all nations represented here must be ready to take more risks. The demand is there, and you know it."
"IF WE WANT TO WIN THIS MATCH, ALL OUR TEAM MEMBERS NEED TO DO THEIR PART"
Stating that governments and defense industries are trying to expand defense production by making various investments, Rutte said, "Looking just at the past year, we see that 37 billion dollars were spent to develop defense industry infrastructure."
Rutte noted that this money is used to build bigger factories and more production capacity, and added: "This morning at the forum, new contracts were signed, big announcements were made, as you heard. Together, they amount to tens of billions of dollars, and this is increasing. What does this mean? It means more air defense systems, more strike capabilities, more satellite communications, more ammunition, more drones, and anti-drone technology. It means increasing resilience, increasing preparedness."
Stating that they predict the Alliance will be in a position to produce approximately 4 million dollars worth of ammunition annually by 2027, which is about twice that of last year, Rutte said, "We have made real progress, we see that. And we continue to move in the right direction. The strategy is clear, actually. But the match is not over yet, and if we want to win this match, all our team members need to do their part. We need to do more, faster, and together. We no longer have the luxury of time."
"RUSSIA IS SPENDING ABOUT 50% OF ITS NATIONAL INCOME ON ITS WAR MACHINE"
Rutte stated that Russia is spending about 50% of its national income on its war machine, China continues to modernize its armed forces and expand its nuclear capabilities, North Korea continues to expand its nuclear program and supply Russia, and U.S. strikes have reduced Iran's nuclear capability, and continued as follows:
"In this context, we must remain vigilant. Because these countries are increasingly working together. And that doesn't worry all of us, actually. Because I am sure they are not thinking about our good intentions. This is the landscape before us, this is the reality before us. To be able to deal with these challenges, we need a transatlantic defense transformation, a revolution."
Calling for governments to continue signing contracts in this scope and for reducing bureaucracy within NATO, Rutte said, "Both governments and industries need to continue investing in production capacity. Governments also need to create the relevant conditions, thereby facilitating the development and cooperation of the industry."
"A SINGLE COUNTRY CANNOT ACHIEVE THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION ALONE"
Rutte stated that factories need reliable energy and skilled people, and drew attention to the need for taking risks in this area.
Stating that allies will continue to invest in defense, Rutte said, "A single country cannot achieve the industrial revolution alone. We have to do it together. We are NATO. We bring together our capabilities, our technology, our industry."We are bringing together the assets of 32 countries. This is quite a powerful thing." he assessed.
Rutte, emphasizing that working together would make them stronger, said, "We will continue to innovate rapidly in Ukraine as well. We will continue to work in today's unprecedented drone ecosystem and create opportunities to cooperate more with Ukraine."
Rutte, stating that they are at the forefront of the "Transatlantic Defense Industry Revolution," said, "My request to you is: make that first big leap."
Rutte, noting that "what will bring success is the cooperation between NATO and industry," used the expression, "Now let's fulfill our promises. Let's do more, faster, all together."