WASHINGTON (February 2, 2026) – NATO’s Secretary‑General Mark Rutte, warned European lawmakers that Europe cannot defend itself without substantial U.S. military support. Emphasizing the importance of the alliance, Rutte said Europe and the United States “need each other” to maintain credible collective defense. Rutte explained that for Europe to match U.S. military capabilities on its own, member states would need to more than double current defense spending—potentially reaching around 10% of GDP—to build equivalent conventional forces and nuclear deterrence.
For more context on these developments, please consider Erwan Lagadec, an associate research professor of international affairs at the George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs. Lagadec is an expert on NATO and has taught classes on NATO’s strategic challenges and the Western responses to Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy. Lagadec’s research interests also include NATO projecting stability, sub-national transatlantic relations, and the politics of aid. Lagadec has looked closely at the idea of "Global NATO" and an "Alliance of democracies" as well as NATO's role in the Indo-Pacific
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