NATO to boost air and missile defense investments to counter Russia

BRUSSELS ― NATO’s forthcoming plans to deter Russia includes “significant improvements to our air and missile defenses” as well as fifth-generation jets, alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday.

“Today, ministers endorsed a new overarching plan to defend our alliance in crisis and conflict, to make sure that we continue to have the right forces at the right place at the right time,” Stoltenberg told reporters Thursday, capping the first day of NATO’s two-day defense ministerial meeting.

The defense ministers of alliance-member countries committed to the new NATO “capability targets,” negotiated as part of the alliance’s regular defense planning cycle. A source said the alliance plans to invest in missile systems like the Raytheon Technologies-built Patriot and the SAMP/T air defense system made by Eurosam.

“We are implementing a balanced package of political and military measures to respond to this threat,” Stoltenberg said.

“This includes significant improvements to our air and missile defenses, strengthening our conventional capabilities with fifth-generation jets, adapting our exercises and intelligence and improving the readiness and effectiveness of our nuclear deterrent,” he added.

Members agreed to “have more forces which are heavier and more high-end capabilities,” as well as more advanced forces to “exploit emerging and disruptive technologies,” Stoltenberg said.

The members approved plans for exercises, intelligence activities, artificial intelligence standards and technological innovation ― as well as the plan for thousands of mutually agreed upon targets.

“This is a key aspect of NATO cooperation that we actually agreed to specific targets and allies deliver them. That’s also one of the reasons why we need to continue to see increased defense spending,” Stoltenberg said.

Joe Gould was the senior Pentagon reporter for Defense News, covering the intersection of national security policy, politics and the defense industry. He had previously served as Congress reporter.

布鲁塞尔——北约秘书长延斯·斯托尔滕贝格周四表示，北约即将出台的威慑俄罗斯的计划包括“对我们的防空和导弹防御进行重大改进”，以及第五代战机。

“今天，部长们批准了一项新的总体计划，以在危机和冲突中捍卫我们的联盟，确保我们继续在正确的时间、正确的地点拥有正确的力量，”斯托尔滕贝格周四告诉记者，这是北约为期两天的国防部长会议第一天的总结发言。

北约成员国国防部长承诺遵守新的北约“能力目标”，这些目标已在北约例行防务规划周期中协商达成。一位消息人士称，北约计划投资研发诸如雷神技术公司制造的“爱国者”导弹系统和欧洲导弹集团公司制造的SAMP/T防空系统等导弹系统。

斯托尔滕贝格说：“我们正在实施一套平衡的政治和军事措施来应对这一威胁。”

“这包括大幅改进我们的防空和导弹防御系统，用第五代战机加强我们的常规作战能力，调整我们的演习和情报工作，以及提高我们核威慑力量的战备状态和有效性，”他补充道。

斯托尔滕贝格表示，成员国同意“拥有更多更重型、更高端的部队”，以及更先进的部队来“利用新兴和颠覆性技术”。

成员国批准了演习计划、情报活动计划、人工智能标准计划和技术创新计划，以及数千个双方商定的目标计划。

斯托尔滕贝格说：“这是北约合作的一个关键方面，我们明确了具体目标，而盟友则负责实现这些目标。这也是我们需要继续增加国防开支的原因之一。”

乔·古尔德是《防务新闻》的资深五角大楼记者，负责报道国家安全政策、政治和国防工业的交汇点。他此前曾担任国会记者。