A senior NATO military official has called on Western businesses to prepare for “wartime scenarios,” citing increasing vulnerabilities to economic blackmail from Russia and China.
Speaking in Brussels, NATO Military Committee Chair Dutch Admiral Rob Bauer emphasized the need for businesses to adjust production and supply chains to minimize strategic vulnerabilities. He pointed to Europe’s reliance on China for rare earth materials—vital for military and technological applications—and for key pharmaceutical ingredients, warning that such dependencies could be exploited in future conflicts.
“We are naive if we think the Communist Party will never use that power,” Bauer said. He urged companies to recognize the strategic consequences of their commercial decisions, stressing that economic strength is critical in sustaining wartime efforts.
Bauer also referenced Russia’s gas supply cuts to Europe at the onset of the Ukraine war as an example of how economic tools are weaponized. He advised industries to diversify and adapt to ensure the continuity of essential services and goods during crises.
Amid calls for preparedness, Admiral Pierre Vandier, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, outlined the urgent need for Europe to overhaul its defense systems. Vandier criticized the slow pace and risk-averse culture of European military procurement, which he said hampers innovation and flexibility.
He highlighted several key areas requiring immediate attention, including space technologies, military logistics, and IT infrastructure. Vandier stressed the importance of increasing defense spending, suggesting that NATO’s current 2% GDP target is inadequate. “Three percent of GDP might become the new objective within the next 18 months,” he said, noting that Cold War-era military budgets often exceeded 4–5% of GDP.
Vandier also pointed to inefficiencies in European defense programs, such as overregulation and long lead times for weapon development, which leave the continent ill-prepared for the demands of modern warfare.
Bauer’s remarks followed heightened tensions with Russia after President Vladimir Putin ordered a test launch of the Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missile at a Ukrainian target in Dnipro.
Putin framed the strike as a response to Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied long-range missiles, specifically U.S.-made ATACMS and UK-provided Storm Shadows, to target Russian military facilities. He also warned that Russia reserves the right to strike military sites in countries supporting Ukraine’s operations.
