Brussels, 4 June 2025 (dpa/MIA) - NATO members are to agree on new defence capability targets at the upcoming meeting of the alliance's defence ministers, Secretary General Mark Rutte announced on Wednesday.

"These targets set out what forces and concrete capabilities the allies need to provide to strengthen our deterrence and defence," Rutte said.

"Air and missile defence, long-range weapons, logistics, large land manoeuvre formations are among our top priorities," he added.

"We need more resources, forces and capabilities so that we are prepared to face any threat and to implement our collective defence plans in full."

NATO defence ministers gathering in Brussels on Thursday are expected to formally adopt the top-secret plans.

The new targets are "a huge leap forward" towards a "stronger, fairer and more lethal alliance," Rutte said.

In order to ensure that the NATO targets are met, Germany and the other member states will now be assigned new national targets for their military capabilities, including weaponry.

Under the plans, the current targets are to be increased by around 30%, sources told dpa.

Gaps in collective defence

The new targets are considered to be a particularly difficult challenge because the existing goals are far from being met. Senior military officials recently spoke of a gap of 30%.

"Obviously there is still a lot to be done on the current capability targets," said Rutte, adding that much more was needed to protect the alliance.

"The world is becoming more dangerous," said Rutte, listing Russia's war against Ukraine, terrorism and global competition as threats.

To deliver on the new targets, NATO members will have to increase their defence spending, he added.

Allies are expected to take a decision on higher military expenditure at an upcoming leaders' summit later this month in The Hague.

US President Donald Trump is demanding that the alliance partners spend 5% of their economic output on defence.

Rutte recently proposed a compromise formula of increasing defence-related spending to 3.5% and spending an additional 1.5% on infrastructure. He assumes that the NATO states would agree to this.

"A new defence investment plan will be at the heart of the NATO summit," Rutte stressed.

Targets are classified as top secret

The specific new national planning targets are currently still classified as top secret.

However, it is expected that some details will be made public once the targets have been approved by the defence ministers.

For Germany's military, the Bundeswehr, experts assume that the number of active soldiers - currently around 182,000 - will have to grow by a high five-digit figure if Berlin wants to achieve the planning targets.

Considerable investments in the German military are to be needed, including in new air defence systems.