Overview

• NATO has formally adopted a 5% GDP defense spending target, the alliance’s biggest increase since its 1949 founding.
• Member states will submit annual national plans to phase in the target over the next decade and align investments with shared defense priorities.
• Spain secured a last-minute exemption limiting its defense outlay to 2.1% of GDP, underscoring ongoing disputes over fair burden sharing.
• Russia’s rapid production of roughly 1,500 tanks and 3,000 armored vehicles annually has driven NATO’s push for higher spending.
• U.S. defense officials plan to accelerate Abrams tank deliveries, replenish Patriot air-defense batteries and streamline arms export approvals to support allies.