Det Udenrigspolitiske Nævn 2024-25
UPN Alm.del Bilag 196
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MEETING OF
NATO MINISTERS OF DEFENCE
5 June 2025
Policy Brief
113 SPE 25 E | Original: English | June 2025
This Policy Brief is presented for information only and does not
represent the official view of the Assembly.
 UPN, Alm.del - 2024-25 - Bilag 196: Policy Brief NATO - Defence Ministers Meeting June 2025
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MEETING OF NATO MINISTERS OF DEFENCE, 5 JUNE 2025:
KEY TAKEAWAYS
NATO Ministers of Defence convened in Brussels for a meeting of the North Atlantic
Council on 5 June 2025. This was the
last meeting at the ministerial level prior to the
Summit
of Heads of State and Government in The Hague on 24-25 June. Ministers also
met for the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, an Informal NATO-Ukraine Council Working
Lunch and the Nuclear Planning Group.
Focus of the Meetings
•
Allied deterrence and defence
o
new capability targets
o
significantly higher defence spending
o
defence industry and defence production
o
NATO nuclear posture and adaptation
•
Support for Ukraine
o
further military and financial support
o
Ukraine’s defence industry
Decisions
•
Defence ministers endorsed:
o
new capability targets
o
a new NATO Strategy to Counter Hybrid Warfare
Additional notes
•
Several Allies joined two established
multinational High Visibility Projects to
enhance cooperation in the air domain.
•
General Alexus Grynkewich
was announced as the new Supreme Allied
Commander Europe (SACEUR).
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 UPN, Alm.del - 2024-25 - Bilag 196: Policy Brief NATO - Defence Ministers Meeting June 2025
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I.
ALLIED DETERRENCE AND DEFENCE
New capability targets
•
Defence Ministers agreed an ambitious new set of capability targets
to build a
stronger, fairer and more lethal Alliance as well as to ensure warfighting readiness for
years to come.
•
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte emphasised that
“these
targets set out what
forces and concrete capabilities the Allies need to provide to strengthen our deterrence
and defence.”
•
Mark Rutte identified
air and missile defence, long-range weapons, logistics, large
land manoeuvre formations as well as command and control systems as top
priorities.
Significantly higher defence spending
•
The new capability targets are the basis for
a new defence investment plan which is
expected to be approved at the NATO Summit in The Hague.
•
Mark Rutte confirmed that his proposal
calls for Allies to invest 5% of GDP in
defence, including 3.5% on core defence spending as well as 1.5% of GDP per
year on defence and security-related investment,
including in infrastructure,
resilience and industry.
•
NATO Secretary General underlined that the increase of core defence spending
to 3.5% of GDP
is directly related to the newly agreed ambitious capabilities targets, but
also to the existing gaps based on the slow pace of delivering capability targets agreed
in the past.
•
Mark Rutte explained that
“this
3.5% core defence spending is really deeply rooted in
a process which has taken four years to complete, the NATO Defence Planning
Process.”
•
Mark Rutte stressed that the additional 1.5% of GDP
should be spent
“basically
on
security and defence related matters like military mobility, making sure that the defence
industrial base is developed, making sure that our societies are well prepared for
situations where war might potentially break out.”
Defence industry and defence production
•
NATO Secretary General underscored that the combination of new capability
targets and the significantly higher defence spending should allow
“for
defence
industries to take their necessary commercial decisions, not to increase prices, but to
increase the production lines, to increase the shifts.”
•
Mark Rutte confirmed that he wants to make defence industrial issues a priority
for NATO in the second half of 2025.
He underscored the critical impact defence
industrial production has on Allied economies and job creation.
II.
SUPPORT FOR UKRAINE
Further military and financial support
•
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte
reaffirmed Allied support for Ukraine noting
that this year alone, Allies had pledged over EUR 20 billion in additional security
assistance for Ukraine.
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•
•
•
Mark Rutte stressed that Allies will design their new defence investment plan
“in
such a way that it will not impact the way our Allies are working with Ukraine” to make
sure that
Ukraine has the necessary capabilities “to
stay in the fight and be in the best
possible position in the peace talks.”
During the Ukraine Defence Contact Group new aid packages and important steps
of support were announced:
✓
The United Kingdom
announced an aid package for drone supplies
–
GBP 350
million, which will allow the transfer of 100,000 drones to Ukraine in 2025;
✓
Germany
approved a new military aid package worth EUR 5 billion. The package
includes funding for long-range weapons to be produced in Ukraine, transfer of air
defence systems, weapons and ammunition;
✓
The Netherlands
provided an aid package worth EUR 400 million, including a
mine countermeasure vessel, boats and maritime drones;
✓
Belgium
announced a long-term initiative: annual assistance to Ukraine
amounting to EUR 1 billion until 2029 and the transfer of a mine countermeasure
vessel.
✓
Norway
allocated USD 700 million for drones, focusing on supporting the
Ukrainian defence industry, and EUR 50 million to the NSATU Trust Fund.
✓
Canada
allocated USD 45 million for drones, electronic warfare systems, IT
solutions, Coyote and Bison armoured vehicles.
✓
Sweden
announced EUR 440 million for international programs to procure artillery
ammunition, drones and other weapons for Ukraine.
Five additional Allies
–
Belgium, Sweden, Italy, Türkiye, and Estonia
–
joined the
Electromagnetic Warfare (EW) Coalition.
Ukraine’s defence industry
•
During the Ukraine Defence Contact Group
further steps to enhance Ukraine’s
defence industry and defence industrial productions were discussed:
✓
A Western European company announced the production of modern anti-Shahed
missiles in Ukraine;
✓
The UK and Ukraine will jointly produce lightweight multirole missiles and
launchers;
✓
Rheinmetall is building advanced Lynx combat vehicles in Ukraine;
✓
Ukrainian companies will continue to produce ammunition under license from
Nammo (Norway–Finland);
✓
SAAB (Sweden), Kongsberg (Norway), KNDS (France–Germany), FFG
(Germany), and Raytheon (USA) are expanding their presence in Ukraine.
Informal NATO-Ukraine Council working lunch
•
NATO Defence Ministers convened with their Ukrainian counterpart,
Rustem Umerov, as well as the
High Representative of the European Union for
Foreign Affairs and Security Policy,
Kaja Kallas, during an informal NATO-Ukraine
Council working lunch
to discuss the current battlefield situation and
Ukraine’s
assessment on the peace talks.
•
NATO Secretary General confirmed that
he invited Ukraine to the NATO Summit in
The Hague.
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III.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
Multinational High Visibility Projects to enhance cooperation in the air
•
Canada, Denmark, Norway and Poland joined the NATO Flight Training Europe
(NFTE) High-Visibility multinational initiative,
which aims to ensure the delivery of
state-of-the-art pilot training across Europe in a cost-efficient and interoperable manner.
Since its launch in 2020, eight military campuses have been fully accredited for NFTE
training and six are undergoing certification. NFTE training includes basic, intermediate
and advanced training for fighter jet, helicopter and transport pilots as well as personnel
who remotely pilot uncrewed aircraft.
•
Canada, Croatia, Czechia, Luxembourg, Montenegro, the Netherlands and
Slovenia
agreed to join the 21 other Allies that participate in
the Cross-Border
Airspace Cooperation initiative.
Launched in 2023, this initiative aims to develop
larger airspace solutions, including cross-border, that are better suited to accommodate
training events for modern air capabilities and systems.
New Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR)
•
NATO Secretary General informed that the North Atlantic Council approved the
nomination of
Lieutenant General Alexus G Grynkewich,
United States Air Force, to
the post of
Supreme Allied Commander Europe.
•
Lieutenant General Grynkewich is currently serving as Director for Operations of
the Joint Staff.
Upon completion of national confirmation processes, he will take up his
appointment as the successor to General Christopher G. Cavoli, United States Army, at
a change of command ceremony at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe
in Mons, Belgium, expected in the summer of 2025.
______________
www.nato-pa.int
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