The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has signed a contract worth nearly $700 million, requiring member countries to produce more Stinger missiles for air defense. This is one of many measures that NATO is pushing for at the Washington summit to enhance the weapons production capabilities of its member states.
Outgoing NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced this contract at the inaugural NATO Defense Industry Forum held at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, July 9. The forum aims to promote defense production and transatlantic industrial cooperation.
Stoltenberg stressed that NATO is facing serious security challenges and called for increased cooperation and defense investments. He emphasized the need for closer collaboration in the defense industry, stating that “without a strong defense industry, we cannot provide strong defense.”
The Stinger missile is a portable surface-to-air defense system primarily manufactured by Raytheon. These missiles can be carried and launched by troops or mounted on vehicles for short-range aircraft defense.
According to the latest data released by the U.S. Department of Defense in July, the United States has provided Ukraine with over $53 billion in weapons and security assistance since the Russian invasion. Other NATO member countries and international partners have collectively provided approximately $50 billion in weapons and security aid, according to data from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy in Germany.
On Monday, July 8, U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson delivered a speech for the first time on U.S. national security and congressional foreign policy at an event hosted by the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C. He pledged to urge all NATO member countries to meet their domestic military expenditure targets.
Johnson stated, “Every NATO member country must allocate at least 2% of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to defense.” He highlighted that China poses the greatest threat to global peace.
Among the 32 NATO member countries, it is expected that 23 countries will meet the 2% commitment this year, compared to only 6 before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, in a news release on Tuesday, revealed that the NATO Defense Industry Forum was jointly organized by NATO and the White House, with five working groups focusing on ammunition and air defense production capacity, technological innovation, enhancing cyber defense, adopting and adapting artificial intelligence, and space capabilities for discussions.
The outcomes of each working group’s research and policy recommendations for the alliance will serve as the basis for NATO’s policy work this fall and are expected to have far-reaching effects over the next two years.