Overview

• Secretary-General Mark Rutte expects alliance leaders to agree on a 5% defense spending goal during the June 24-25 summit in The Hague.
• The proposal breaks down into 3.5% for hard military outlays and 1.5% for related expenses such as infrastructure, cybersecurity and logistics.
• The move reflects years of pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump and growing concern over Russia’s expanding military partnerships.
• No NATO member currently hits the 5% threshold; Poland leads the alliance at about 4.7% of GDP while Canada spends only 1.37%.
• Lithuania and Latvia have plans to reach or exceed 5% within two years, but several members warn of steep budgetary hurdles.