MADRID - NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says he is worried about the low level of defence spending among European allies and called on members to work together to reduce the reliance on the United States for high-tech weapons.
Fogh Rasmussen said in Madrid on Thursday that the Libya operation highlighted the dependency on U.S. surveillance and intelligence equipment and precision weapons "simply because no other ally has them available."
He said not every ally need have these capabilities but he wanted to see more of them across the alliance.
He said, "That is why I am concerned about the low level of defence spending, especially in Europe."
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates recently slammed European allies for not spending more on defence.
