LONDON — NATO Assistant Secretary General for Defense Industry, Innovation, and Armaments Tarja Jaakola urged member nations to adopt joint weapon procurement and co-production models during a meeting in London this month. Jaakola said that NATO members often do not purchase weaponry together and that allies can acquire weaponry most cost-effectively by jointly purchasing it.

"When I talk with the industry, the industry keeps telling me many nations still approach them individually with their individual requirements. And that is something that we should avoid." Jaakola said. She noted that when multiple countries independently develop similar weaponry, they allocate fewer resources per program and incur higher per-unit costs than if they work together.

NATO has pushed for greater joint production and has encouraged allies to enter multinational contracts. "Member states are invited to make joint procurement the preferred procurement choice." according to NATO policy. The European Union changed its rules to incentivize member states to conduct joint procurements.

Jaakola emphasized that shared weapon systems make it easier for allies to operate together in a war. "The cost escalation within defense systems is higher than in the civilian market." she said. She added that NATO needs to change its defense development models and that allies should embrace collaboration, co-production, and joint procurement when developing, building, and buying weapons.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that joint procurement should reduce costs for alliance members when buying gear. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen supported the initiative. "Joint procurement would reduce costs, reduce fragmentation, increase interoperability, and strengthen our defence industrial base." von der Leyen said.

Germany established facilities to produce interceptor missiles for the US MIM-104 Patriot air defense system as part of increased co-production. A briefing presented to European Parliament members revealed that joint procurement across the union was far below targets, despite the potential for better industrial leverage, better interoperability, and annual savings of several billion euros.