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last mo.

NATO Allies Split Over Proposed 5% GDP Defense Target

Mark Rutte has proposed dividing the 5 percent goal into 3.5 percent for military spending with a further 1.5 percent earmarked for security investments to forge consensus ahead of the Hague meeting.

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Overview

  • US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told NATO ministers in Brussels that allies will commit to a 5 percent GDP defense target within weeks, endorsing a 3.5 percent military and 1.5 percent security investment split.
  • Spain’s Defense Minister Margarita Robles reiterated that Madrid will hold to its 2 percent GDP commitment and maintain an emphasis on meeting capability objectives instead of adopting a 5 percent spending target.
  • Eastern European members led by Estonia and Lithuania support the full 5 percent allocation, with Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur calling for its adoption within five years.
  • Germany projects an additional €125 billion in annual defense spending to achieve a 3 percent GDP target and has urged a realistic roadmap toward any higher benchmarks.
  • The alliance aims to finalize a new defense spending agreement at the June 25 summit in The Hague following three weeks of intense negotiations in Brussels.