NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is advocating for a new standard of defense spending set at 5% of GDP, starting in 2032. This was announced by Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof following a government meeting on May 9.
According to Schoof, Rutte sent an official letter last week to all NATO member states, proposing that the new standard be adopted at the upcoming Alliance summit in The Hague. Rutte’s proposal calls for 3.5% of GDP to be allocated directly to military needs, with an additional 1.5% earmarked for related areas such as infrastructure and cybersecurity.
Schoof added that defense ministers from several countries have already begun discussing the Secretary General’s proposal, and further negotiations are expected in the coming weeks.
According to AD.nl, Schoof is the first NATO country leader to publicly outline a preliminary roadmap for implementing the new defense spending norm. Rutte’s initiative aligns with a longstanding U.S. demand—voiced during Donald Trump’s administration—for NATO allies to raise defense spending to at least 5% of GDP.
Additionally, in April, Polish officials claimed to have received confirmation that Trump would attend the NATO summit in June 2025.
