Stateside Spending Exemption: Trump Won't Sweat New NATO Defense Target
United States Pushes for Exemption from Increased NATO Funding Requirement
The upcoming NATO summit could see a bump in defense spending targets - a move prompted by years of elbowing from Donald Trump. Yet, it seems the U.S., under his leadership, won't be among the nations striving to meet this elevated standard.
Trump made it clear as day in a recent interview, saying when asked about the potential increase in defense spending by NATO allies: "I think they should do that. I don't think we should. But I think they should."
The U.S. has been holding its own for NATO long enough, with Trump contending that Washington picks up "almost 100 percent of the costs"[1]. As such, he argues that other member nations should adopt the new spending quota and, in a not-so-subtle dig, criticizes Spain and Canada for lagging behind.
The agreed-upon target is set for 5% of each nation's GDP on defense, with 3.5% being the core expenditure on weapons, troops, and the like. An additional 1.5% revolves around defense-related investments such as infrastructure, cybersecurity, and more[2][3][4]. While the U.S. currently doles out a touch over 3.4% of its GDP on defense, this figure falls short of the new 5% standard[1].
However, the Spanish government is currently thwarting the agreement on this enhanced spending goal. Consequently, NATO ambassadors wrangled in Brussels last Friday, trying to crack a fresh deal, but to no avail[5]. Negotiations are set to persist over the weekend, aiming for a resolution by Tuesday[5].
Spain sees the proposed 5% GDP defense spending as "unreasonable" and counterproductive, causing some friction among its NATO partners[5]. The risk here is that Trump might abandon NATO if he doesn't secure what he wants. In the past, he's threatened to only support nations that he deems to invest reasonably in their defense[5].
In a nutshell, the U.S. is granted an exemption from the 5% GDP defense spending target due to Trump's political stance, arguing that the U.S. should not face the same spending demands as other NATO nations. At the same time, the exemption acknowledges the U.S. already contributes a considerable amount to NATO’s defense efforts[2][4]. This fresh target primarily aims to boost European and Canadian contributions rather than boost U.S. defense spending[2][4].
- The European Union, as a significant member of NATO, may find itself under pressure to increase its defense spending, with the new target set at 5% of each nation's GDP.
- Despite the proposed increase in defense spending targets, the United States, under President Trump's leadership, is not expected to participate in the effort to meet this elevated standard, given his stance that other NATO allies should bear the increased burden.
