U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker stated that the North Atlantic Alliance must present a clear and phased plan to reach the goal of allocating 5% of GDP to defense, with a strong focus on developing tangible combat capabilities. He made this statement in an interview with Bloomberg.
According to Whitaker, NATO needs more than just the pledge made at the 2014 Wales summit, where member states agreed to spend at least 2% of GDP on defense.
We need clear milestones to reach these new targets and an understanding that spending must be directed primarily toward real, ‘hard’ defense capabilities, he emphasized.
A new defense spending goal is expected to be agreed upon at the upcoming NATO summit. According to Reuters, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is expected to propose increasing commitments to 3.5% of GDP for defense, with an additional 1.5% allocated for defense-related purposes. This proposal aligns with U.S. President Donald Trump’s demand for allies to commit to 5% of GDP in defense spending — a threshold not yet met even by the United States.
American officials have warned NATO allies that, although Trump plans to attend the summer summit in The Hague, he may cancel his visit if a preliminary agreement on increased defense spending is not reached.
Additionally, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed confidence that all NATO members will agree to the 5% defense spending target within the next decade, ahead of the Alliance’s summit in June.
