NATO’s procurement architecture, and those of most Allies, is still anchored to an outdated Cold War logic, far from the operational reality of the wars in Ukraine and in the Middle East.
At The Hague last year, Allies committed to 5% of GDP on defence. One year later, the main question shifts to how they should spend it.
While NATO procurement still runs on a time-consuming process, Ukraine has shown what modern war demands: mass, attrition, autonomy and industrial scale – with battlefield adaptation happening in weeks, not years.
This is why, at Rasmussen Global, we believe that five structural reforms must begin at the Ankara summit.
1. Effect-based procurements which would allow industry to propose solutions against a specific effect, and be selected based on the substance.
2. An upgraded innovation infrastructure, where the focus shifts from identifying new players, to scale them.
3. An innovation-to-production initiative under Allied Command Transformation with a structured route from prototype to fielded capability.
4. A resilience-first procurement logic where higher unit costs might be accepted in exchange for supply continuity under pressure.
5. A strategic partnership architecture where industry is seen as a reliable partner in building sustainable capacity over time, rather than an off-the-shelf vendor.
None of these reforms require more spending; together, they constitute a refreshing and up-to-date architecture that meets the level of the threats we are currently facing.
For more information on this topic, please reach out to our Director of Defence, Phillip Kjær Luscombe via pkl@rasmussenglobal.com.
Find the policy paper here: Rasmussen Global – Ankara Summit guide