Western defense companies need to have a rooting interest in the geopolitical competition between the U.S.-led democratic allies and authoritarian regimes, a top U.S.
FILE – Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks pauses during a media briefing at the Pentagon, Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023, in Washington. “We are totally dependent on you because you actually deliver and produce the capabilities we need — the weapons, ammunition, the systems we need — to have strong defense,” Stoltenberg said. “The good news is that you are also very dependent on us because we are your only customer. So the only way you get contracts and so on to buy your products is actually that governments decide to invest more in defense.