Overview
- NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has proposed core military spending of 3.5% of GDP plus 1.5% for defence-related measures to be agreed at the Hague summit.
- US ambassador to Nato Matthew Whitaker has demanded that all alliance members commit to 5% of GDP on defence and security starting immediately.
- The UK government has pledged to lift defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 with a 3% ambition in the next parliamentary term but has not provided a firm timetable or funding plan.
- The Strategic Defence Review outlines investments in 12 new attack submarines, six munitions factories and up to 7,000 long-range weapons to achieve war-fighting readiness against growing Russian threats.
- The Institute for Fiscal Studies warns that meeting a 3.5% defence spending target could add up to £40 billion a year to the budget, likely requiring tax increases or cuts to other public services.