Overview

• NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has proposed a new spending target of 3.5% of GDP on military and 1.5% on related areas by 2032, totaling 5%.
• The U.S., under President Trump, is demanding all NATO members commit to a 5% GDP defense spending target, a level no member has yet achieved.
• Only 23 of NATO’s 32 members met the current 2% GDP defense spending benchmark in 2024, with many struggling to reach even that threshold.
• NATO foreign ministers will meet in Antalya, Turkey, next week to refine proposals ahead of a final decision at the June 24–25 summit in The Hague.
• The EU has proposed easing fiscal rules and a €150 billion defense fund to support European countries in meeting the new spending targets.