NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg reported that 23 out of 32 member countries are on course to fulfil a decade-old pledge to spend at least 2% of their GDP on defense, a long-standing requirement from Washington.
During a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden in the Oval Office, Stoltenberg stated, “This year, 23 allies will spend 2% of GDP or more on defense.”
He further noted, “NATO allies are increasing defence spending by 18% this year. This is the largest increase in decades.”
Former U.S. President Donald Trump, Biden’s rival in the upcoming November election, frequently expressed frustration with the allies, whom he felt were not contributing enough.
Trump even suggested recently that he would encourage Russia to attack these nations if they did not meet the agreed-upon spending threshold.
When members made this commitment at the 2014 summit, only three countries— the United States, the United Kingdom, and Greece—were meeting the target.
The NATO defense spending pledge agreed upon in 2014, has been a point of contention, particularly for the US, which has historically shouldered a significant portion of the alliance’s defense budget.
The commitment requires member states to allocate at least 2% of their GDP to defence by 2024.
The substantial increase in defence spending among NATO members this year marks a significant shift towards fulfilling this pledge, highlighting the alliance’s efforts to strengthen collective security in response to growing global threats.
The U.S. has continuously pressured its allies to meet this target to ensure a more balanced distribution of defence responsibilities within the alliance.
NATO plans to place additional nuclear weapons on high alert and enhance the transparency of its nuclear arsenal to counter potential threats from Russia and China.
Stoltenberg stressed that NATO is discussing the deployment of more nuclear weapons, including the possibility of removing missiles from storage and putting them on standby. He underscored the importance of transparency as a deterrent.
