Top NATO military chair warns business leaders to prepare for wartime scenario

The chair of NATO’s military committee warned business leaders to prepare for a “wartime scenario” and bring their production lines back home, rather than relying on China or Russia, to avoid blackmail or sabotage — as former and future US President Donald Trump has vowed to restore his “America First” agenda.Speaking at an event Monday for the European Policy Centre think tank, Dutch Adm.Rob Bauer said instability in global politics could leave businesses at the mercy of foreign governments, especially if war were to break out.

“Businesses need to be prepared for a wartime scenario and adjust their production and distribution lines accordingly,” Bauer said.“Because while it may be the military who wins battles, it’s the economies that win wars.”The NATO military chair said Europe has already gotten a taste of this over the tumultuous Gazprom fuel deal, the terms of which Russian President Vladimir Putin stepped in to change following the European Union’s backing of Ukraine in 2022.“We thought we had a deal with Gazprom, but we actually had a deal with Mr.

Putin,” Bauer said.“And the same goes for Chinese-owned infrastructure and goods.

We actually have a deal with [Chinese President] Xi [Jinping].”The NATO military chief noted that 60% of all earth materials are produced in China, with 90% of the products also processed there.The bulk of ingredients for critical health care items, including sedatives, antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and low blood pressure medicines all come from China as well, Bauer said.He warned that it would be naive for business leaders to believe that the Chinese Communist Party would not stoop to targeting foreign business in its country to disrupt the economies of potential adversaries.

The dire warning comes as President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to prioritize an “American First” agenda, which could include installing 60% tariffs on most goods imported from China in an effort to protect domestic i...