NATO’s European member-states are poised to invest a combined total of $380 billion on defense this year, according to the military alliance’s Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, in response to comments made by former U.S. President Donald Trump about the bloc if members didn’t spend enough on defense.
That combined level of spending meets an estimated 2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2024, while marking a 0.15 percent increase from the previous year, Mr. Stoltenberg said.
President Trump had remarked on Feb. 10 that any NATO allies who didn’t spend enough should inadvertently be at Russia’s mercy in the event of a conflict, implying that nonpayment should result in a lack of protection.
At present, the 31 allies have committed to the defense spending target of 2 percent of GDP; however, not all have done so individually.
“I expect 18 allies to spend 2 percent ... on defense this year,” Mr. Stoltenberg told a news conference in Brussels.
He noted that overall military spending is set for another record year as the Russia–Ukraine conflict is entering its third year, exceeding last year’s figures, in which 11 NATO members are expected to reach the agreed-upon target.
Mr. Stoltenberg was responding to questions by journalists about President Trump’s candid remarks on the issue. He said the United States is fully aware of the importance of NATO’s contribution to its own security.
“The United States have never fought a war alone,” he said before heading to a NATO ministers’ meeting. “The criticism we hear is not about NATO, it is about NATO allies not spending enough on NATO.”
Protecting Europe
While President Trump is currently the front-runner for the Republican Party nomination in the 2024 election, and amid disagreements in Washington over whether to pass a $95 billion military aid package for Ukraine and other allies, NATO’s main focus is directed toward maintaining the alliance’s military capability and protecting Europe.Germany is set to meet the 2 percent target for the first time since the end of the Cold War, with a budget of nearly $77 billion allocated for defense spending this year through regular and special budget outlays. However, it has refrained from divulging the total amount of its defense spending.
This could be followed by France, the bloc’s only nuclear power, which has allocated more than $400 billion by 2030, which indicates a rapid increase in defense spending, as well as being ahead of its projected 2 percent 2025 GDP target, which reportedly could occur earlier than planned.
Implementation of NATO’s new strategy would require further boosting of European defense spending, in addition to addressing other issues pertaining to strong U.S. interest, including China and the Indo–Pacific, and what they referred to as careful handling of President Trump, according to NATO diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity.
One said the approach would be a “combination of flattery and a firm hand.”
The annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, as well as the advancement of Russian forces into the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine in 2014, has prompted NATO members to gradually increase their defense spending, which led to an agreement to realize the goal of at least 2 percent of GDP on military spending by member states at a summit in Wales the same year.
As of 2023, 11 member states were expected to have met the 2 percent target, according to prior NATO estimates. They include Poland, the United States, Greece, Estonia, Lithuania, Finland, Romania, Hungary, Latvia, Britain, and Slovakia.
