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Thank you, Maria, Mr Vice President, Excellencies, dear friends. Good afternoon, everyone. And a very warm welcome to the NATO Summit Defence Industry Forum.

As we are in the middle of the World Cup, let me start with a little football analogy. And I do this with a heavy heart, as the Netherlands, my country has been kicked out, and also Curaçao, which is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, has been kicked out of the World Cup, but still, I maintain the football analogy. Because there is something I believe football teaches us.

No team wins because of one brilliant player. You need the goalkeeper. You need the defenders, the midfielders, the strikers. And yes, everyone notices the player who scores the winning goal. But behind every successful player, and team, out on the pitch are many others on the bench and behind the scenes. The coaches, the trainers, the analysts, the people making sure everything works. Everyone matters. No one wins alone.

NATO is much the same. It takes a whole team to deter and defend most effectively. Our political leaders set the direction. Our armed forces are on the pitch, every single day. And you, our defence industry, provide the strength behind the team, the equipment, the innovation, the production capacity. To have power, resilience and endurance, we all need to be fully engaged in the game. Working together for our shared security.

You need us, at NATO, to tell you what our militaries need. That is the demand. And we need you to turn those requirements into real capabilities. That is the supply. And that is why it is so crucial that we continue to build cooperation between NATO and industry.

I have seen it grow and develop since I took over in 2024. I have visited factories and facilities across the Alliance, including here in Türkiye. I have spoken with company leaders, engineers and workers on the factory floor. I have seen the innovation. I have seen the opportunity. And I see our partnership in action right here at this Forum. This is what teamwork looks like. And this is a team that knows how to score.

Last year, at the NATO Summit in The Hague, Allies made important commitments, to invest 5% of GDP in defence, to accelerate production, and to speed up innovation. One year later, we can already see the results. Last year alone, European Allies and Canada spent nearly 20% more on defence than the year before, an extra 139 billion dollars. Looking at 2025 and 2026 together, it’s an increase again, Canada and the Europeans, of 258 billion dollars, more than 250 billion. That’s just the additional investment.

So, basically, one thing is clear. The money is there and much more is coming. But this cash must be put to work. It needs to purchase capabilities to actually deter and defend. Governments and the defence industry are laying the path by investing in expanding defence production. Over the last year alone we have seen 37 billion dollars invested in just boosting our defence industrial base itself. Again, think about this number, 37 billion to boost our defense industrial base. So, larger factories, new production lines, more capacity.

In fact, there is enough additional production space to cover more than two thousand football pitches. And just this morning at the Forum, substantial new contracts were signed, and more big announcements were made. All together worth tens of billions of dollars and growing. That means more air defence systems and strike capabilities, more satellite communications, more ammunition, more drones and counter-drone systems, and increased resilience and preparedness.

According to our projections, by next year, the Alliance will have the capacity to produce around four million artillery shells annually. Almost twice as many as last year. That’s scale. So yes, we have made real progress. We are moving in the right direction. The strategy is clear. But the match is far from over.  And to win it, we need all team members to pull their weight. Do more, faster, together. We don’t have the luxury of time. We need capabilities now, to ensure we remain ready. The security situation demands it.

Russia is pouring almost half of its national budget into its war machine. Can you imagine, almost 50% of what Russia spends is put into the war machine. Its defence industry is working around the clock. And not only the defense industry, also the rest of the industrial base in Russia is supporting the war effort. China continues to modernise its armed forces and expand its nuclear capabilities without transparency. North Korea continues to expand its nuclear programme, and supply Russia. And while recent U.S. action has significantly degraded Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, we must remain vigilant. These countries are increasingly working together. That should concern us all. Because I assure you, they do not have our best interests in mind.

So that’s what we are up against. That is the reality we face. To meet the challenge, we need a transatlantic defence industrial revolution. The hum of machinery must become a roar. Now, that sounds dramatic. But it can be done. Governments have their role to play, they must continue placing long-term orders and signing contracts. Today is an excellent example of the kind of contracts we need to put on the table. More of that, please.

We need a bonfire of red tape, in our procurement and in our cross-border regulation. Both government and industry must continue investing in production capacity. Governments must also create the conditions for industry to expand and to cooperate. Factories need reliable energy, electricity and fuel. They need secure supply chains. And above all, they need skilled people, engineers, technicians, innovators.

At the same time, industry across all of the nations represented here must be ready to take more risk.  The demand is there, and you know it. We are being much more open about what we need. At the Summit, we are releasing publicly, for the first time, a consolidated demand signal, outlining our requirements. We will help ensure you know the demand and understand it. You also know the market is growing. Allies will continue to invest in defence. This is a not an anomaly, this is a trend.

Lastly, no single nation and no single industry can power an industrial revolution alone. But the good news is that we don’t have to. Because we have NATO.  We combine the assets, the technologies, and the industries of 32 countries across Europe and North America.  That’s incredibly powerful. We have an unequalled pool of talent, creativity and expertise out there. And many are right here in this room today.

And we are even stronger when we work together with our partners. With Ukraine, of course, which continues to innovate at incredible speed. It now boasts an unparalleled drone ecosystem. And we are creating opportunities for more industrial cooperation and co-production with Ukraine. We must seize this opportunity. We are also building industrial cooperation with the European Union and countries in the Indo-Pacific region. I have seen the Japanese Defense Minister and others here in this room today, welcome. Because, when we combine our efforts, we produce more. We innovate faster, and we strengthen all our security.

So, today, we are on the cusp of this transatlantic defence industrial revolution. I am asking you to take a leap. And show our people that we are ready and capable to protect them, anywhere, at any time. And show Russia and all those watching today, that the transatlantic defence industrial base is mobilising with purpose. Not in anger, but for our collective security.

So let me finish where I started. Winning teams prepare. They train, they invest, they build trust, and they keep improving. That is exactly what we must continue to do. The partnership between NATO and industry is the winning one. So now, let’s deliver even more, even faster and together. Thank you.