BELGIUM – The NATO defense ministers meeting in brussels on Thursday aims at discussing the alliance’s capability targets as US defense secretary Pete Hegseth pushes for a 5% contribution for every NATO member state.

“Today is really key, because we will decide on the capability targets, and this is an important building block to decide on the money we’re going to spend in the coming years on defense,” NATO chief Mark Rutte said during his doorstep statement.

Hoping to agree on the capability targets, Rutte reiterated the need to be able to defend themselves by preparing for possible war and to deter any attacks and called for a “higher spending target.”

“We have to invest in our air defense systems. We have to invest in our long-range missiles. We have to invest in our maneuverable land formations and command and control systems. All of this has to happen,” he added, signaling the need for “huge investments” across NATO that would also help “equalize” other countries’ defense spending with that of the US.

Rutte also reaffirmed that he would put out his proposal on defense spending and the new plan during the press conference at the end of the meeting.

“What we will decide in The Hague, what we will spend on defense going forward. The new defense investment plan, of course, is rooted in what we need in terms of the hard capabilities. So that’s why it’s so important that today we decide on the capability targets. From there, you will assess the gaps we have,” he explained.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also reiterated the need for every country to spend on defense.

“Every country has to contribute at that level of 5% as a recognition of the nature of the threat. It can’t be about the flags that we love. It has to be about the formations that we have. It’s that hard power that actually deters,” Hegseth said.

Noting that peace can be achieved through strength and deterrence, he also underlined that the countries should not rely on the US.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that their armed forces should grow by up to 60,000 soldiers to achieve NATO’s new goals for improved defense capability.

“We assume – but this is only a rough estimate, to be clear – that we will need around 50,000 to 60,000 more soldiers in the standing armed forces than we have today. And at the same time, the question will naturally arise: Will the new military service be sufficient over the next few years?” Pistorius noted.