The defense ministers of NATO member states have decided to launch a major arms buildup program, the largest since the Cold War, TASS reported citing the DPA news agency.

According to the media outlet, the plan provides for a significant increase in deterrence and defense capabilities in the coming years. The news agency notes NATO is taking these measures in response to the threat allegedly coming from Russia.

Priority sectors included in the plan are long-range weapons, air defenses and mobile ground forces. According to DPA, the decision to implement the program was made at a NATO defense ministers’ meeting in Brussels.

The media outlet points out that the arms buildup program contains target benchmarks related to the development of military capabilities. It clarifies the contribution to joint deterrence and defense that each of the allies is supposed to make in the future. The required capabilities were defined based on new defense plans. DPA says that the plan takes into account intelligence services’ assessment that despite developments in Ukraine, Russia may be prepared for an armed conflict with NATO countries as early as in a few years.

DPA explains that the plan’s underlying goal is to make NATO as unpredictable an adversary for Russia as possible. However, according to the news agency, previous requirements for military capabilities have been increased by about 30%. The new target of defense spending particularly stems from the current deficit and new goals.

On Thursday, a NATO defense ministers’ meeting is taking place in Brussels. Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said upon arrival at the event that NATO nations should contribute to joint efforts to boost the alliance’s defense capacity instead of relying on the US. According to him, Washington is ready to assist the bloc’s members in dealing with the emerging threats but it would like allies to also step up efforts in this direction.

In recent months, US President Donald Trump has repeatedly confirmed his intention to get NATO member states to increase their military spending to 5% of GDP. The bloc’s nations set the goal of raising military expenditures to 2% of GDP at a NATO summit in Wales in September 2014, citing an alleged "Russian threat" as the decision was made after Crimea’s reunification with Russia. In July 2023, NATO’s summit in Vilnius decided that the 2% GDP number should not be the target but the minimum level of defense spending for NATO countries.