NATO’s defence requirements for Member States no longer match Europe’s wartime needs, according to Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken.
The capabilities Belgium is currently expected to meet for NATO do not reflect what the country would need in the event of war, Francken says.
NATO updates Europe’s defence requirements every four years and then assigns each Member State the number of troops and quantity of equipment it must provide. The latest capability targets are due to be met by 2029.
However, Francken feels the process is too slow. Speaking at a defence conference organised by Euronews in Brussels on Wednesday, he argued that the update should happen sooner and faster.
Defence ministers across the alliance have serious questions about some of the capabilities Nato still relies on, according to Francken.
For some time, he and his counterparts have pointed to the rapid evolution of warfare, particularly the growing role of drones and artificial intelligence, an issue which, he stressed, NATO needs to address as a matter of urgency.
Next month, the alliance is due to discuss the core principles of its new defence plans, including the main threats facing it and the measures it is prepared to take.
The talks are especially sensitive this time around because the United States, NATO’s leading power, is scaling back its contribution to Europe’s defence. Last spring, Washington withdrew support troops earmarked for Europe and it is now reviewing where on the continent it will keep a military presence.
Francken said Europe must, above all, strengthen its defences against air attacks. He warned that so-called grey-zone attacks, in the space between war and peace, were likely to increase, including through the use of drones.
“The winter will be darker for Europe,” he said.
