NATO set to approve new military purchases as part of a major defense spending hike
NATO defense ministers are set Thursday to approve plans to buy more weapons and military equipment to better defend Europe, the Arctic and the North Atlantic, as part of a US push to ramp up security spending.
The 'capability targets' lay out plans for each of the 32 nations to purchase priority equipment like air and missile defense systems, artillery, ammunition, drones and 'strategic enablers' such as air-to-air refueling, heavy air transport and logistics.
'Today we decide on the capability targets. From there, we will assess the gaps we have, not only to be able to defend ourselves today, but also three, five, seven years from now,' NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said.
'All these investments have to be financed,' he told reporters before chairing the meeting at NATO's Brussels headquarters. US President Donald Trump and his NATO counterparts will meet on June 24-25 to agree to new military spending targets.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that 'to be an alliance, you've got to be more than flags. You got to be more than conferences. You need to keep combat ready capabilities.'
The targets are assigned by NATO based on a blueprint agreed upon in 2023 — the military organization's biggest planning shakeup since the Cold War — to defend its territory from an attack by Russia or another major adversary. Under the plans, NATO would aim to have up to 300,000 troops ready to move to its eastern flank within 30 days, although experts suggest the allies would struggle to muster those kinds of numbers.
The member countries are assigned roles in defending NATO territory across three major zones — the high north and Atlantic area, a zone north of the Alps, and another in southern Europe.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
37 minutes ago
- News18
Operation Sindoor: 6 Pak Jets Downed, Bahawalpur & Muridke Pegged On Apr 23, Say Sources
Last Updated: Top defence sources also said it was false that India came under pressure from the US or Donald Trump to enter a ceasefire with Pakistan on May 10 India downed at least six Pakistani jets as well as a military transport aircraft during Operation Sindoor, top defence sources have told CNN-News18. The terrorist headquarters of Bahawalpur and Muridke in Pakistan were chosen as the prime targets by the Narendra Modi government on April 23, a day after the Pahalgam terrorist strike, they added. Top defence sources also said it was false that India came under pressure from the US or Donald Trump to enter a ceasefire with Pakistan on May 10. 'The fact is that Trump and PM Modi never spoke. Even when JD Vance called, the PM was very firm and did not yield," these sources said. The Congress and Rahul Gandhi have been targeting the Prime Minister, asking why he had allegedly 'surrendered to US pressure". The sources said, 'Rahul Gandhi is being immature in targeting PM Modi on this count, and it will backfire on the Congress when Parliament begins." The Planning The sources said Muridke and Bahawalpur were proposed as the prime targets for India's strike at the long meeting that defence minister Rajnath Singh chaired with the three service chiefs, the chief of defence staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan, and national security adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval on the morning of April 23, a day after the Pahalgam strike. The service chiefs had said at this meeting that they were fully prepared for the counterstrike. These options were laid out at the cabinet committee of security (CCS) meeting chaired by PM Modi on the evening of April 23. The PM had cut short his Saudi Arabia trip to return to India that day. Multiple dates were considered for the strike, and the time was decided to be between 12.30 am and 2 am. It was ensured that cameras must be able to capture the destruction caused at the targets even at night in the dark, top defence sources said. It was a conscious decision not to cross the international border or the Line of Control (LoC) for the strike, as India now had the capability to hit anywhere in Pakistan without crossing the border, the sources said. This ensured the safety of Indian pilots, learning from the Abhinandan Varthaman case during the Balakot strike in 2019. The Losses India ultimately struck multiple terrorist headquarters in Pakistan and PoK on the morning of May 7 between 1.05 and 1.30 am within 22 minutes. The CDS has recently admitted that India did suffer some combat losses in terms of jets in the initial stage of this operation due to 'tactical mistakes" but rubbished Pakistan's count of six Indian jets downed. Top defence sources said the government is inquiring into the reasons for these 'tactical mistakes" that led to a few Indian planes being downed. 'But all Indian pilots returned safe," the sources said. India, however, has confirmed inputs that over six Pakistani jets were downed in Indian strikes in the early hours of May 7 and May 10, alongside a C-130J military transport aircraft of the Pakistani army. Top defence sources said these include F-16 and JF-17 fighter jets of the Pakistani air force and a Pakistani SAAB-2000 AWACS. The Indian Navy did not enter the actual combat but was ready to go, the sources added. They said Pakistan feared that the Indian Navy could attack the Karachi Port, and this may have led it to wave the white flag. Advertisement top videos View All The emergency powers for procurement granted to the three service chiefs by the defence minister after the Galwan clash on the LAC in 2020 had played a significant role in the strong preparation of the forces for a war-like situation during Operation Sindoor, the sources said. Sources also pointed out that the multi-party delegations had been a good success, and opposition members included in the teams were decided by top ministers who spoke to their party heads. Salman Khurshid, Shashi Tharoor, Asaduddin Owaisi, and Kanimozhi were deliberate choices that sent a strong message abroad as well as domestically, the sources said. About the Author Aman Sharma Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from politics to crime and society. Stay informed with the latest India news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : donald trump Operation Sindoor Pahalgam pakistan terror Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: June 07, 2025, 07:00 IST News india Operation Sindoor: 6 Pak Jets Downed, Bahawalpur & Muridke Pegged On Apr 23, Say Sources | Exclusive
Time of India
39 minutes ago
- Time of India
Fed likely to leave rates unchanged as US job market cools but doesn't crumble
Federal Reserve policymakers have already signaled they are in no rush to cut interest rates , and a government report on Friday showing the labor market is far from crumbling amid big trade policy changes only cements that stance. The Labor Department 's monthly employment report showed the unemployment rate held steady at 4.2% last month. Employers added 139,000 jobs, which combined with downward revisions to prior months' estimates showed a cooling in labor demand but nothing abrupt; by comparison, job gains averaged 160,000 last year. U.S. President Donald Trump ratcheted up his calls for rate cuts. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The Killer New Honda CR-V Is Utter Perfection (Take A Look) SneakerToast Undo "Go for a full point, Rocket Fuel," Trump said in a post on Truth Social that urged the Fed to lower rates by 100 basis points. The president added that the Fed could simply increase rates again if inflation reignited. But the latest job growth reading is already giving Fed policymakers more comfort about holding the U.S. central bank's policy rate steady as they watch to see how higher import tariffs affect the economy. Live Events It "was a solid report and I was pleased with it," Philadelphia Fed President Patrick Harker told CNBC, adding that now was the time for the Fed to hold policy steady. Fed officials have telegraphed that they intend to do just that at their June 17-18 policy meeting. Financial markets have been betting the Fed will wait until September to cut rates and will deliver a second reduction in borrowing costs by December; after the jobs report they trimmed their bets on a possible third rate cut by the end of this year. "Continued strength in the jobs number provides further support for the Fed's patience," said Scott Helfstein, Global X's head of investment strategy. "The Fed is likely to remain on hold through the end of summer to see how tariff negotiations proceed and ensure prices are stabilizing." Analysts said they expect more softening ahead in the labor market as higher import levies and government policy uncertainty strain economic growth. Job gains in May were concentrated in a narrowing range of industries, including healthcare, and manufacturing lost jobs in its worst showing since January, the employment report showed. The workforce shrank by the most in 17 months. Fed policymakers, however, have signaled they are disinclined to act preemptively to cushion any emerging weakness in jobs, especially with higher tariffs seen likely to also push up prices and potentially reignite inflationary pressures. The takeaway on the labor market for the Fed, said Krishna Guha, vice chairman of Evercore ISI, is that, "given the lack of any serious cracks to date, the risk of waiting several more months to learn more with policy in a modestly restrictive posture looks low."
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
42 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Best of BS Opinion: Sizing up the present and prepping for tomorrow
Have you noticed how a good tailor doesn't just note down size. They examine the grain of the fabric, test its stretch, study how it drapes and where it may crease. Precision in measurement matters, but it's the understanding of the material that determines how well a garment fits in motion, not just on paper. Much like today's world where the complexities don't lie in their surface figures, but in the hidden tensions, subtle shifts, and structural weaves beneath. Stitching the world together requires more than tape measures, it demands feel and a keen eye for detail. Let's dive in. Take Donald Trump's proposed second-term economic plan, for instance. On the surface, it's just another size-too-big tax cut, but Kenneth Rogoff reminds us the fabric is strained, federal debt is at 122 per cent of GDP, interest payments outpacing defence spending, and the bond markets growing increasingly restless. The stitchwork that held Reaganomics together no longer fits. Yet both parties seem reluctant to tailor in tighter fiscal seams, even as the dollar's credibility frays. In Tamil Nadu, Kamal Haasan's foray into politics reveals the limits of star power when not matched with political grain. Aditi Phadnis traces his trajectory which contains flashes of brilliance but little drape with the electorate. His alliance with the DMK may buy him a Rajya Sabha seat, but it's clear that charisma alone isn't a cut above unless it's lined with deeper grassroots stitching. Sandeep Goyal draws the contrast between Zeenat Aman's nostalgia-laced but weak Netflix return and Bobby Deol's sharply recut villainous turns. Reinvention requires understanding not just the old silhouette but today's fabric. Campa Cola nailed that, relaunching not with sentiment but with savvy pricing and strategic placement, showing us how legacy can be re-tailored to fit modern demand. Meanwhile, Shekhar Gupta threads through the geopolitical shift along India's borders. Pakistan's brief military flare-up wasn't a standalone patch, but a piece from China's strategic pattern. The drape of conflict has changed, subtle, layered, and stitched from multiple fronts, with Beijing quietly trimming the edges. And finally, Jyoti Mukul brings us to a repair shop in Gurugram where old gadgets are being brought back to life. Sunil Kumar's soldering iron is perhaps the truest metaphor, a reminder that good fixes aren't about replacing parts, but respecting the integrity of what's already there. With India's new Repairability Index and global moves toward circular economies, we're slowly learning to value mends over disposals. Stay tuned, and remember, true mastery lies in seeing how the cloth looks when worn in the real world!
