The Heads of State and Government of the North Atlantic Alliance, NATO, have reaffirmed “ironclad commitment” to their defence under Article 5 of the Washington Treaty and to the transatlantic bond.

In the Ankara Summit Declaration issued on Wednesday after their meeting in Turkey, the leaders declared that “an attack on one is an attack on all.”

The statement noted that allies are delivering on The Hague defence obligation to counter “the long-term threat” Russia poses to Euro-Atlantic security and stability, and the persistent threat of terrorism.

More than $50 billion in new procurements were announced in Ankara, in addition to the expansion of collective manufacturing capacity and working with industry to accelerate innovation.

This new funding builds on the over $139 billion raised by European allies and Canada in 2025 to increase their investments in core defence requirements.

“We are building a stronger Europe in a stronger NATO,” the declaration reads. “European Allies and Canada, working with the United States, are assuming greater responsibility for the Alliance’s defence.”

The leaders promised to continue to eliminate defence trade barriers among allies and leverage NATO’s partnerships to maximise defence industrial depth and cooperation.

NATO says that its deterrence and defence hinge on the right combination of nuclear, conventional, and missile defence capabilities, complemented by space and cyber assets.

The alliance acknowledged Ukraine’s contribution to transatlantic security, and reiterated its unwavering support for Ukraine in defending its freedom, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.

This year, NATO is providing €70 billion in military equipment, assistance, and training for Ukraine, with an assurance to sustain at least equivalent levels in 2027.

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The United States military on Wednesday carried out another round of strikes on Iran after the Islamic Republic attacked ships in Strait of Hormuz a day earlier.

The US Central Command, CENTCOM, made this announcement in a post on its verified X handle on Wednesday.

This came a few hours after President Donald Trump threatened to unleash more military action against Iran after saying that the Iranian attacks signaled the end of the ceasefire.

“At the direction of the Commander in Chief, the US Central Command forces have started conducting additional strikes against Iran to further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

“The United States is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway,” CENTCOM wrote on X.

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The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa, has directed security personnel to kill and neutralize bandits and terrorists immediately upon deployment, warning that any operative who waits for approval before taking action would be treated as a terrorist.

Musa gave the order on Wednesday in Sokoto State while commissioning 62 operational vehicles and security equipment worth N27.1 billion procured by the Sokoto State Government to strengthen security operations across the state.

“Once you’re are deployed do not wait for any order from anybody to to shoot any bandit or any terrorist.

“I want to make that very loud and clear – anybody who refuses to shoot or kill any bandit or terrorist in the name of waiting for an order, we will treat you like a bandit,” Musa told the troops.

He stressed the importance of maintaining the newly acquired equipment.

“It is important for those that will handle this equipment, these equipment cost billions of naira that could have been used for other aspects but have been dedicated to this.

“So I want to charge you that you must maintain this equipment very well. We will come after a year to see how these equipment are doing,” he said.

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