NATO is changing as Rutte demands more from Europe

NATO chief warns of the West's most dangerous security environment in a generation as Canada moves closer to UK-led defence force

NATO is being reshaped around a new reality: Europe and Canada are being asked to provide far more of the military power needed to defend the alliance.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte delivered the warning during a visit to Britain, describing the current security environment as the most dangerous and complex faced by the West in a generation.

But behind his demand for Britain and Europe to provide more “hard power” is a potentially bigger transformation — one in which European allies and Canada take greater responsibility for their own defence.

Rutte met new British prime minister Andy Burnham before delivering his annual lecture at Ditchley Park in Oxfordshire. He praised Britain's role in NATO but stressed that the military and financial effort could not be temporary.

NATO's new reality

Rutte said NATO needs “more UK and more Europe”, pointing to Russia's war against Ukraine, terrorism, Iran and wider geopolitical competition.

He argued that European countries had for years assumed the United States would provide most of the military muscle and pay much of the bill.

That assumption has changed.

At the 2025 NATO summit, allies agreed to increase defence investment, with Trump pressing European members to take much greater responsibility for the continent's security.

Britain has committed to raising defence spending, although the pace and precise path remain politically contentious.

Canada makes its move

Then came a striking development.

Canada formally applied to join the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force, a rapid-response military partnership currently comprising Britain and nine northern European NATO members: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.

Canada is already a NATO member.

But joining the JEF would give Ottawa another framework for closer military cooperation with Britain and European allies at a time when Canada is seeking to diversify its defence relationships away from sole reliance on the United States.

That fits remarkably closely with Rutte's description of what he called “NATO 3.0” — a NATO in which Europe and Canada spend more, produce more and do more for their own security.

Britain at the centre

Rutte singled out Britain as having a central role in building what he described as a stronger Europe inside a stronger NATO.

The UK remains a nuclear power, is investing heavily in its Trident deterrent and continues to provide substantial military support to Ukraine.

Rutte also praised Britain's role in responding to Russian activity across Europe and its defence-technology sector.

During his meeting with Burnham, the two leaders discussed Britain's defence industry, innovation and the future capabilities NATO will need across multiple domains. Downing Street said they also discussed Ukraine and long-term security in the Middle East.

The bigger picture

This is therefore about considerably more than another argument over Britain's defence budget.

NATO is trying to remain a transatlantic alliance while simultaneously becoming more European.

And Canada's decision to seek a place inside a British-led European military grouping, on the same day Rutte called for Europe and Canada to do more, is a revealing sign of where that change could be heading.

The old NATO depended heavily on American military power.

The emerging NATO is asking Europe — with Canada increasingly alongside it — to carry much more of the load.

Sources: The Guardian / Reuters / NATO / UK Government