NATO’s Secretary General delivered a speech in Iowa last (Tuesday) night, calling the alliance practical and necessary to provide security to both Europe and the United States. Mark Rutte (ROOT-uh) was prime minister of the Netherlands for 14 years before he become the head of NATO in October of 2024.
Rutte — speaking in Des Moines at an event organized by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs — acknowledged some Americans — including President Trump — have questioned the value remaining a part of NATO.
Rutte says some U-S allies weren’t investing enough to their own defense, but he says things have changed and the leaders of NATO countries have agreed to reach new levels of defense spending that would equal five percent of each country’s Gross Domestic Product.
Rutte mentioned the Iowa National Guard’s role in NATO’s security efforts in Kosovo as well as Iowa State University’s role in developing a quick and less expensive way of producing purified uranium during World War II.
Matt Whitaker (WITT-uh-ker), the Iowa native who is U-S Ambassador to NATO, joined Rutte on stage in Des Moines after the speech. Whitaker says there’s been a clear-eyed realization by European leaders that they needed to beef up their own defenses.
Whitaker says the first shot of a future global conflict won’t be troops across a border, but an attack on critical infrastructure and it’s important for NATO countries to beef up the defense of things like communications systems and a country’s industrial base.
