That is precisely the reason why NATO's Secretary General is telling us what an urgent priority this is. He recognizes that NATO's defence budgets are going to shrink. He knows that, and as the secretary general, he is concerned. NATO's operational capability in the decades ahead will depend on how willing states are to cooperate.
It is a fact that defence spending, particularly in Europe, will in all likelihood shrink or, at the very least, procurement budgets will. We are already seeing it in the U.S. Now, then, is the time to find a way to maintain the operational capability of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, as we enter a period of cutbacks and fiscal restraint.