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NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Tuesday (local time) said member countries are signing defence agreements worth "literally billions of dollars" during the NATO summit in Ankara, CNN reported.
Speaking at the summit's defence industry forum, Rutte said allies were announcing "new major projects" aimed at strengthening the alliance's military capabilities. "These are billions that are invested in our security, boosting our economies and supporting hundreds of thousands of new jobs. It's money well spent," Rutte said, according to CNN. The alliance, in a statement, announced plans to procure five "high-end, high-altitude and long-endurance uncrewed aircraft" from Northrop Grumman and invest USD 40 billion in counter-drone capabilities over the next five years. The counter-drone initiative will be accompanied by a plan for NATO allies to "train five times as many drone operators by the end of 2027." "Drones have fundamentally altered the character of modern warfare and become a decisive factor on the battlefield," the alliance said in a statement, as cited by CNN. "These initiatives will be essential to increase both Alliance readiness and resilience," it added. CNN also reported that NATO announced plans to replace its ageing fleet of E3 surveillance aircraft with up to 10 GlobalEye aircraft manufactured by Swedish defence company SAAB, with some components and production involving the United States and Canada. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristerson described the programme as "a moment of great pride for Sweden." According to CNN, Rutte also highlighted NATO's "remarkable progress" in increasing defence spending by member countries, an issue that has been a key point of discussion with US President Donald Trump, who has often criticised the alliance. (ANI)
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