Europe boosts artillery ammunition production sixfold in 2 years, NATO chief says
Europe can now produce six times more artillery shells annually than it could two years ago, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said during a visit to Germany on Aug. 27.
The production "is expected to reach 2 million rounds by the end of this year," Rutte said.
The news comes amid a broader push by European countries to strengthen their defense industries, both to bolster their own security and Ukraine's defenses in the face of Russian aggression.
Speaking at the opening of the Rheinmetall artillery plant in Unterluess — the largest such facility in Europe — Rutte said that the German defense manufacturer accounts for "a big part" of this growth. The factory alone is planning to produce 350,000 artillery shells a year.
According to the NATO chief, countries must now focus on ramping up the production of tanks, air defense systems, and missiles.
"To speed up the production of much-needed capabilities, we can build on our experience in ramping up the production of shells," he said. "And we can learn from Ukraine's innovative industrial mobilization."
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Europe’s defense industry has been criticized for being slow and inefficient. Production bottlenecks have delayed the delivery of weapons and ammunition to Kyiv.
Calls to increase defense spending grew louder after U.S. President Donald Trump, who has long accused Europe of not investing enough in defense, returned to office in January.
At the NATO summit in The Hague in June, the first under Trump’s second term, allies agreed to raise the defense spending target from 2% to 5% of GDP. Military aid to Ukraine may count toward that new goal.
Separately, the EU launched its new ReArm Europe program, which aims to raise an extra 650 billion euros ($750 billion) in defense spending and offer 150 billion euros ($170 billion) in defense-related loans.
