Dutch defense chief says Türkiye’s NATO role will grow as US scales back capabilities

Dutch Chief of Defense Gen. Onno Eichelsheim said Sunday that Türkiye’s role within NATO will grow as the US reduces some of its military capabilities, adding that he was impressed by the Turkish defense industry and saw strong potential for bilateral cooperation.

Eichelsheim made the remarks in an interview with Anadolu during a visit to Ankara ahead of the NATO Summit, which will be held Monday and Tuesday.

He said the Ankara summit would mark several important turning points, stressing that the alliance’s top priority should be implementing the 3.5% defense spending commitment agreed at The Hague Summit.

“The most important outcome of this summit should be that we implement the 3.5% commitment we made in The Hague. This summit should provide more detail and clarity on the next steps,” he said.

Eichelsheim said the Netherlands could serve as an example in this regard.

“We prepared a White Paper and demonstrated our willingness to meet NATO’s 5% defense spending target,” he said.

He also said European countries should begin assuming greater responsibility within NATO to compensate for capabilities being withdrawn by the US.

“I think this is another important turning point. From that perspective, Europeans truly beginning to take greater responsibility within the alliance can be regarded as a historic moment,” he said.

Outlining his expectations for the summit, Eichelsheim said NATO should first demonstrate its unity and determination.

“I think the summit should first show our determination as an alliance and that we are still together and our ties remain strong. That should be one of the key messages we send,” he said.

“Second, we should demonstrate that the 3.5% target we agreed on last year is now being implemented by alliance members. Third, I believe a positive outcome would be identifying a path to peace in the Russia-Ukraine war and a path toward resolving the Iran-Israel-US conflict, because both issues are extremely important for stability,” he added.

Commenting on the US decision to reduce its military contribution in Europe, Eichelsheim said NATO would continue to need the US while Europe takes greater responsibility.

“We need the US within the alliance. I also don’t think it would be right for Europeans to try to do everything on their own. But we do need to take on greater responsibility,” he said.

“Europe has the capacity to fill the gaps created by the capabilities the US is currently withdrawing. Over time, European countries should go even further, and for that we need our defense industry. We see that Türkiye has an industry capable of meeting these needs. The European defense industry still has some steps to take before reaching that level,” he added.

Eichelsheim said European countries would be able to meet the new targets but acknowledged that doing so would take time.