NATO's Call to War

On November 20, 2024, Dutch Admiral Rob Bauer, Chair of the NATO Military Committee made some rather sobering comments about the current near-World War III state of the world at a European Policy Centre think tank event and how the business world should prepare for all-out war.  Here are some key quotes with my bolds throughout:

 

"Not only our defence industries, but our whole economies need to realise that peace is no longer a given.

 

Because while it may be the military who wins battles, it’s the economies that win wars."

 

Bauer asserts that NATO member states must take serious steps to prepare for war through investments:

 

"We are currently in the phase of establishing the Capability Targets. 

 

Which means that we determine per nation what capabilities they need to develop and expand. 

 

Not just in order to be able to execute our new defence plans. 

 

To be ready NOW.

 

But also in order to make sure that we reach the long-term goals that are set in the NATO Defence Planning Process. 

 

To be ready in the FUTURE. 

 

As a result of this, we will see a more even distribution of capabilities among Allies.

 

European nations and Canada will develop capabilities that now only the United States has. 

 

This is a result of a process that has been going on for years, so it is independent from any national election. 

 

It is a system based on military logic, in order to have as much flexibility as possible. 

 

Some people say it is a form of burden sharing, but I object to the term ‘burden’. 

 

Security is not a burden.

 

Nor is it a cost. 

 

It is an investment. 

 

And a responsibility for all Allies. 

 

The new capability targets are all part of the complete overhaul towards collective defence. 

 

And as a result: the difference between NATO and national is fading more and more to the background.

 

This overhaul will require substantial more investments. 

 

2 percent is a floor… not a ceiling. 

 

In reality, it’s more like a basement. 

 

And it depends per nation how much higher that percentage needs to be. 

 

But more important than any percentage is the fact that Allies need to deliver on every single promise they have made to their fellow Allies. 

 

Every detailed plan of what capability they will provide, needs to be upheld.

 

Because NATO and national defence planning is more integrated than ever before."

 

As such, in the coming years NATO will focus on:

 

1.) implementing their defence plans

 

2.) creating a more even distribution of capabilities 

 

3.) increasing our investments.

 

4.) deepening cooperation with Partners.

 

If we use Bauer's 2 percent of GDP military investment "floor/basement", we find that many NATO member states are falling far short of what is required of them as shown on this map:

 

In 2017, only four member states were meeting their 2 percent of GDP defense spending requirement.  By 2023, 11 member states were meeting that obligation.

 

The 2024 estimate suggesting that 23 nations will meet the target with Croatia (1.81%), Portugal (1.55%), Italy (1.49%) Canada (1.37%), Belgium (1.30%), Luxembourg (1.29%), Slovenia (1.29%) and Spain (1.28%) being the military spending "deadbeats" as shown here:

 

He also states that security and strong deterrence requires active participation from all government institutions, all parts of the private sector and all citizens, not just from the military.

  

He goes on to state that the corporate ecosystem must prepare for war:

 

"For the past 2,5 years, I have been going around board rooms and finance conferences in Europe and America to persuade business leaders to think about two questions:

 

1) Is my company ready for war?

2) And what can my company do to prevent war?

 

That last question might surprise some people… but if we can make sure that all crucial services and goods can be delivered not matter what… than that is a key part of our deterrence.

 

Europe has seen that with energy supply.

 

We thought we had a deal with Gazprom… but we actually had a deal with Putin.

 

Same goes for Chinese owned infrastructure and goods: we actually have a deal with Xi.

 

60 percent of all rare earth materials are produced in China… and 90 percent is processed in China… 

 

90 percent of the chemical ingredients for sedatives, antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and low blood pressure medicines come from China.

 

We are naïve if we think the Communist Party will never use that power.

 

Business leaders in Europe and America need to realise that the commercial decisions they make, have strategic consequences for the security of their nation.

 

Businesses need to be prepared for a war-time scenario and adjust their production and distribution lines accordingly."

Of course, Bauer has to vilify Putin and Xi because they are an existential threat to America's hegemony and they are the nation that controls NATO.  It's all part of the propaganda war against any nation or group of nations that threatens America's failing supremacy.

 

And, here is Bauer's conclusion:

 

"At the heart of NATO is a promise of solidarity. 

 

A promise so powerful, that it now protects 1 billion people on earth. 

 

It grew from 12 nations in 1949 to 32 nations in 2024.

 

It is a promise that people from Norway are willing to risk their lives to protect the people from the Netherlands. 

 

People from Portugal to protect people from Poland. 

 

People from Canada protect people from Czechia.

 

In this increasingly dark world, that is something to be immensely proud of.

 

And it’s something we can all be inspired by. 

 

Together we can and we will prove that democracy will triumph over tyranny.

 

That freedom will triumph over oppression.

 

And that light will triumph over darkness."

It's all pure war-mongering propaganda

Let's close with this quote:

"We now know exactly how we will defend key and relevant places in our Alliance against the two threats described in the Strategic Concept and the NATO Military Strategy: Russia and Terrorist Groups."

Great idea Rob Bauer - let's lump Russia and global terrorism together.  That's a great peacemaking move on your part.

  

If this isn't a call to war, I don't know what is.  While we have to keep in mind that Rob Bauer's views on the world have been coloured by his lengthy career in the military, his views will have Big Defense "rubbing its hands together" thinking about the wealth that this call to war will create for its upper floor corner office dwellers.