NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will call for a 400% increase in air and missile defence systems during a speech in London on 9 June, Reuters reported, citing Rutte’s office.

The proposal represents one of the key priorities for the upcoming NATO summit scheduled for 24-25 June in The Hague, where alliance members will discuss enhanced defence capabilities.

The NATO chief argues that current defence levels are insufficient for maintaining credible deterrence.

“The fact is, we need a quantum leap in our collective defence. The fact is, we must have more forces and capabilities to implement our defence plans in full,” he said.

Rutte’s call comes as European nations face mounting pressure to increase military spending following signals from US President Donald Trump about shifting American policy priorities. The Secretary General is pushing alliance members to boost defence spending to 3.5% of GDP, with an additional 1.5% allocated to broader security-related expenditures.

This would meet Trump’s demand for a 5% target, which Rutte said last month he assumed would be agreed at the June summit.

Bloomberg previously reported that NATO has asked European member countries to increase ground-based air defence forces by five times, though individual targets for each nation vary and implementation timelines remain undetermined.

Several countries have already announced spending increases. Britain pledged to raise defence expenditure from 2.3% to 2.5% of GDP by 2027, with a target of 3% at a later date. Germany indicated it will need approximately 50,000 to 60,000 additional active soldiers under new NATO requirements.

The enhanced defence call reflects ongoing concerns about regional security amid Russia’s continuing war against Ukraine.