NATO members announced new defense initiatives at a meeting in Ankara, including a $40 billion allocation over five years to enhance drone‑defense capabilities.
The NATO Support and Procurement Agency signed a contract to buy 900 Patriot missiles, comprising 700 PAC‑2 GEM‑T and 200 PAC‑3 MSE variants, to strengthen air defense.
Other decisions included equalizing military drone operators, procuring new reconnaissance drones, building resilient supply chains for the defense industry, launching a joint corporate participation system, and creating a database of member industrial capacities.
Despite these plans, Defense Express reports many NATO members remain reluctant to significantly raise defense spending; 17 of 32 members are projected to spend less than 2.5 % of GDP on defense in 2026, and some use accounting tricks to meet NATO targets.