NATO's National Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) has found itself at the centre of a high-profile corruption scandal. Five current and former employees of the organisation have been arrested on suspicion of corruption in arms deals. Among those arrested are two Belgian and three Dutch nationals, including a 58-year-old former Dutch defence official who had previously worked on international contracts. All worked at NSPA headquarters in Luxembourg and allegedly passed on confidential information to defence contractors, giving them an advantage in tenders. The ill-gotten gains were laundered through shell consulting companies set up to conceal the proceeds.

The investigation, initiated by NSPA itself, is coordinated by Eurojust and covers several countries, including Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy, Spain and the United States. The Luxembourg prosecutor's office carried out searches and seized documents indicating the possible involvement of representatives of these countries in the criminal scheme. According to Euractiv, the investigation suspects that corrupt actions affected contracts for the supply of ammunition, drones and anti-aircraft missiles, including a $700 million deal to purchase Stinger MANPADS in 2024, announced by former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

The Luxembourg-based NSPA, which has more than 1500 employees, is responsible for multinational procurement, logistics and support for NATO operations. In 2023, the agency awarded contracts worth $11 billion, including the production of artillery ammunition, and in 2024, for the supply of 1000 Patriot anti-aircraft missiles worth about $4 billion and ammunition worth $1,2 billion. However, the high secrecy of the deals, as Transparency International notes, creates conditions for corruption due to weak oversight. Expert Francesca Grandi emphasized that the investigation highlights the need for transparency in defense spending, especially against the backdrop of NATO’s military budgets growing to $1,3 trillion in 2024.