NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said this at the opening of Rheinmetall's largest artillery shell production facility in Unterluess, Germany, on Wednesday, according to Ukrinform.
"Today, Europe's annual capacity to produce artillery ammunition is six times bigger than just two years ago. And it is expected to reach two million rounds by the end of this year. And Rheinmetall accounts for a big part of this growth," Rutte said.
He called on defense manufacturers to match this pace across other critical sectors, including tanks, air defense systems, and missiles.
"I urge you, at Rheinmetall and across the transatlantic defense industrial base, to keep production levels high. Raise the bar even higher. And seize the opportunities for doing more together across the entire Alliance and with our partners, like Ukraine," he said.
Read also: Rutte thanks Canada for military aid to UkraineThe new Unterluess plant alone is expected to produce 350,000 artillery shells annually, while Rheinmetall facilities worldwide aim to deliver 700,000 shells this year.
Rutte warned that as Russia and China rapidly expand their military capabilities, NATO must bolster its own defense industrial base and learn from Ukraine's innovative industrial mobilization.
"The challenges we face are not going away any time soon. To speed up the production of much needed capabilities, we can build on our experience in ramping up the production of shells. And we can learn from Ukraine's innovative industrial mobilization. We need to restart some of our idle production lines, develop faster manufacturing processes, and buy the components…so that when the orders come in, they can be delivered faster," he said.
He also underlined the need to reduce dependence on critical raw materials from third countries and keep costs under control to ensure NATO members can replenish their arsenals efficiently.
Archival photo: @epnacional / X
