The NATO leaders' summit opened in the Turkish capital Ankara on Tuesday with a Defense Industry Forum, unveiling major defense initiatives aimed at accelerating weapons production and procurement amid growing concerns over the alliance's expanding militarization.
Included in a NATO summit for the first time, the forum brought together senior NATO officials and representatives from major Western defense companies to discuss efforts to integrate military supply chains across member states.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte launched the Drone Edge Initiative during the event, aimed at strengthening counter-drone capabilities, saying member states would commit more than $40 billion to the sector over the next five years.
He also unveiled a new Front Door platform designed to facilitate private defense companies' access to alliance contracts, and a $2.8-billion industrial cooperation initiative under which US defense companies, including Lockheed Martin, could partner with European firms to produce US-designed weapons, such as Abrams tanks and ATACMS missiles, in Europe.
As part of broader efforts to expand logistical and operational capacity, several allies, including Türkiye, launched new joint procurement initiatives to enlarge NATO's fleets of strategic transport and aerial refueling aircraft.
Türkiye also announced plans to contribute two domestically produced observation satellites to support NATO's space capabilities.
The latest initiatives come as Rutte continues to press allies to raise defense spending to 5% of gross domestic product by 2035, amid calls from Washington for European members to shoulder a greater share of the alliance's defense responsibilities.
The push has triggered strong public opposition in the host country. On Tuesday, anti-NATO rallies were held in Ankara, where students, socialist groups and lawmakers gathered to protest the alliance's expanding defense budgets.
A broader wave of protests took place over the weekend, when thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir to denounce NATO's pressure to prioritize military spending over public welfare.
