Key American weapons including the Abrams tank, AMRAAM and ATACMS missiles, Small Diameter Bombs and Stingers will be produced or sustained in Europe under new industrial cooperation initiatives announced at the NATO summit in Ankara.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced that “the United States and several of its leading defence companies, including Anduril, Boeing, General Dynamics Land Systems, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, have agreed new industrial cooperation initiatives with major European players in the defence sector, like Diehl, PGZ and Rheinmetall,” before setting out what the agreements will deliver.
“This will allow us to produce or sustain key American capabilities such as the Abrams tank, AMRAAMS, ATACMS, the Barracuda-500M, Small Diameter Bombs, and Stingers, here in Europe. I think this is big news. And a demonstration of NATO’s signature transatlantic unity in delivering key capabilities for our joint security. We can do more when we do it together. And we must do more of it.”
Belgium, Canada, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Norway and Sweden took the stage alongside US Undersecretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment Mike Duffey and the participating companies.
Allies also joined new multinational procurement coalitions alongside the industrial agreements, with Rutte telling the forum: “This really helps us get more of what we need across a range of capabilities, including Naval and Joint Strike Missiles and Small Diameter Bombs. By aggregating demand, and cohering procurement approaches, industrial capacity efforts, and investments, Allies can truly begin to close specific capability gaps. We’re pleased to see a range of Allies working notably with Kongsberg, Raytheon, Boeing, and RWM Italia on some of these initiatives.”
The United Kingdom was called to the stage among the coalition’s participants alongside Denmark, Estonia, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal, Romania and Spain, together with representatives of Boeing and Kongsberg, and while the Royal Navy is beginning to operate the Kongsberg Naval Strike Missile, being fitted to its frigates and destroyers as the interim replacement for Harpoon, the announcement did not specify which weapons each participating nation will procure through the coalition.
Underpinning the production push are two structural initiatives launched by the Secretary General, the first of which, the NATO Engine, will establish a network of factories and advanced manufacturing facilities with available capacity accessible to defence industries across the alliance. “No single nation has the industrial capacity required to meet the large and growing demand. Especially for some of the capabilities we need the most, such as air defence and strike capabilities,” Rutte said, continuing: “To rebuild our arsenals and outproduce our competitors, we need to produce capabilities at scale and super-charge innovation. The NATO Engine will support our most promising companies to scale cross-border production and collaboration on both sides of the Atlantic without huge investment,” and describing the concept as “matching spare capacity with those that want to produce fast and, we hope, resulting in dramatically increased production.”
The alliance also opened the NATO Front Door for Industry, a single platform through which companies can access everything from procurement opportunities to innovation events, with Rutte telling industry representatives that “we want it to be simpler and faster. We cannot defend ourselves without you,” and declaring that “the door is now open.” He encouraged firms to test the platform and provide feedback, saying “this is a new phase of NATO’s relationship with industries,” with the system to be refined in the coming months and fully operational in 2027.
Well clearly the American companies are worried they will lose market share to European companies.
I think that will happen whatever they do. The current US President is saying don’t rely on the US.
Europe will over time take that sentiment literally.
Not just the US President, but his entire administration. Vance is even more rabidly anti-Europe than Trump.
You should wait for DSA taking over Democratic party….
🤣
Appears to have hired a bunch of yes men.
Now is he is starting to make visible mistakes. Clearly there are thousand of mistakes which will emerge over time.
Europe simply needs to address as many it’s reliance issues as it can as quickly as it can.
I get the reliance on USA issue, but while European nations seem dependent on Patriot missile systems for ballistic missile defense, should eNato be pushing for local manufacturing possibilities?
I think we has a solution or 2 for this and so do Ukraine, actually but I forget the system names
We have*
Agreed, but Ukraine seem to be saying that exhisting stocks are limited post US gulf crisis. As many eNato countries have Patriot systems, should Patriot or Patriot compatible missiles be locally manufactured in bulk?
Unless I missed some context or wasn’t explicit in my own initial comment – my point was Ukraine’s solution is a Patriot equivalent/alternative (with some caveats I’m sure) but not using American components (I think).
I believe That’s separate to the recently reported deal which aims to manufacture American systems domestically – which would be an entirely separate although, entirely relevant
Those alone would mitigate what you’ve just raised. The UK has something similar too (perhaps France and other Europeans do aswell)
I guess the challenge for European solutions (as ever) remains scaling up and investing in the capacity for that scale (as you alluded to yourself)
Agreed. Your insights and the recent suggestion from DT would cover this.
My guess would be for Germany to build Patriot missiles (as largest European user) under license for Ukraine, if Ukraine can’t find a secure manufacturing site.
The Ukrainian analogue is essentially a Soviet S300 rocket with European sourced guidance & seeker.
Although a bit crude, it will be ITAR free, compatible with NATO systems, and importantly, about 1/5 the cost of PAC-3. Which is exactly why the Americans are panicking.
Agree totally. It is just attempt to hang onto the US European cash-cow. Europe should speed up its drive to buy from Europe and the rest of the world. We cannot be reliant on the US as it sees any link as a possible lever of control. It is used as political and industrial coercion. Friends do not coerce friends. We have to see the US for what it is a country that worships money and power… the mask has just fallen off with Trump. Yes we should work with the US and cooperate where we can, but we should always remember the US will always put itself first.
Yes. I suspect many US citizens actually believe that the US is acting as the world’s policemen without any benefit coming back into their pockets.
Ultimately the US will come to regret T – they are as a country obsessed with money. Their American dream is just that.
Oddly I suspect that the future for Europe as a whole will ultimately be good.
So this “special relationship” will mean the UK will be getting all these new factories right? Surely wouldn’t be built in Germany.
Mark Rutte Is a US poodle, he does what the US says. It is clear the US are concerned they will not get European orders and that Europe will buy European. So this is a plan to transplant US structures into Europe. It is not cooperation but another attempt to control Europe and maximise US profits….