NATO will unveil a series of multi-billion-dollar military projects on Tuesday in a bid to demonstrate to US President Donald Trump that allies are increasing defence spending and translating investment into stronger military capabilities.
The announcements, to be made during an event dubbed the "big reveal" at the alliance's two-day summit in Ankara, are expected to include new contracts with defence companies, many of them based in the United States.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said the projects would amount to tens of billions of dollars.
"We will announce tens of billions in new contracts that will provide the crucial kit we need to deter and defend," Rutte told reporters ahead of the summit.
The initiative comes as NATO seeks to reassure Trump, who has repeatedly criticised the alliance over defence spending and previously described it as a "paper tiger" that could not function without US military leadership and weaponry.
In an effort to highlight allies' increased commitments, Rutte recently presented Trump with a chart titled "The Trump Trillion", showing that European allies and Canada have collectively committed an additional $1.2 trillion to defence spending since 2017.
Trump, however, appeared unconvinced, saying he remained disappointed that several NATO members declined to join the recent US-Israeli military campaign against Iran.
"We don't need their money — we don't need anything," Trump said. "I just want loyalty."
One of the largest projects expected to be announced is the replacement of NATO's ageing fleet of Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) surveillance aircraft, many of which have been in service for around five decades.
Although NATO does not own combat weaponry, which remains the property of its 32 member states, it operates a fleet of AWACS aircraft as well as more recently acquired surveillance drones.
Several of the new defence projects are expected to be financed through a European Union defence loan programme worth up to $170 billion, aimed at boosting Europe's military capabilities.
"We need to ensure that we are translating our economic might into military capabilities, putting the cash to work from defence plans to drones, from money to missiles and interceptors," Rutte said.
The summit, hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the presidential palace in Ankara, also comes amid renewed debate over possible US sales of F-35 fighter aircraft to Turkey.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Washington not to approve the sale, arguing that Erdogan has repeatedly called for Israel's destruction.
"That would upset the power balance in the Middle East, which is ultimately guaranteed by Israeli air superiority and also, I think, by America's posture in the Middle East," Netanyahu said in an interview with Fox & Friends.
Turkey was removed from the F-35 programme in 2019 after purchasing Russia's S-400 missile defence system. However, Trump, who maintains cordial relations with Erdogan, has recently suggested that the aircraft sales could resume.
The summit is also expected to reinforce the Trump administration's call for Europe to assume greater responsibility for its own security as the United States shifts its strategic focus towards China and the Indo-Pacific.
The Pentagon has promoted what it calls "NATO 3.0", envisioning an alliance in which European members take a much larger role in defending the continent.
However, increasing defence spending remains politically challenging for many governments, requiring either higher taxes or cuts to other public spending.
Concern has also grown among several northern and eastern European countries over the possibility that Russia could launch hybrid attacks combining conventional military operations with cyberattacks and other forms of disruption while the war in Ukraine continues.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to use what is likely to be his final overseas trip before leaving office to advocate "a stronger and more European NATO", according to his office.
Although the UK has pledged to meet NATO's target of spending 3.5 percent of gross domestic product on defence by 2035, it has yet to set out a detailed roadmap. Current government plans would raise defence spending to 2.7 percent of GDP by 2029.