NATO’s most senior military leaders met in Brussels on Tuesday to review the Alliance’s deterrence and defence priorities ahead of a NATO summit in Ankara.
The 32 Allied Chiefs of Defence attended the meeting of NATO’s Military Committee, chaired by Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, alongside NATO’s two top strategic commanders — General Alexus G. Grynkewich, Supreme Allied Commander Europe, and Admiral Pierre Vandier, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, the alliance press service informed.
“Our deterrence and readiness are stronger… But our follow through and delivery is essential,” Cavo Dragone said at the opening of the meeting.
The agenda included a session with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on “political objectives, priorities and milestones” towards the Ankara summit.
Faster delivery of capabilities urged
Cavo Dragone later told a joint press conference that “the rate of delivery and fielding of all capabilities necessary for our deterrence and defence requires a dramatic increase and improvement,” NATO said.
He called for Allies to “redouble” defence investment in line with existing pledges, and urged defence companies to “accelerate production and adapt business models.”
The meeting also covered the status of ongoing NATO-led missions, activities and operations, and updates to NATO’s Defence Planning Process — the system NATO uses to set capability targets for Allies — including efforts to better integrate emerging technologies and lessons from operations.
NATO said the committee also held a NATO-Ukraine Council session, with Ukraine’s commander-in-chief General Oleksandr Syrskyi joining by video link, as well as a NATO-EU session attended by General Sean Clancy, chair of the EU Military Committee.
The Military Committee meets at Chiefs of Defence level at least three times a year, and its next scheduled meeting will take place in Denmark on 18–19 September 2026.
