18 of 31 NATO countries reach the two percent target

Actually, every NATO country should spend two percent of its economic output on the military. According to Secretary General Stoltenberg, 18 of the 31 member states will achieve this this year. Germany is one of them for the first time in a long time.

According to Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, 18 of NATO’s 31 member states will reach the two percent target for military spending this year. That is six times as many as in 2014. At that time, only three allies had achieved the two percent target, said Stoltenberg before the NATO defense ministers began deliberations in Brussels.

In total, the partners’ expenditure would be 600 billion dollars (around 560 billion euros), which corresponds to an increase of eleven percent. The European partners’ spending would total $380 billion (€355 billion).

Stoltenberg appeals to defaulters member countries

Stoltenberg warned the 13 other countries to quickly meet their obligations. He recalled the summit decision from last year, according to which all member states of the alliance want to increase their defense spending. Each member state should therefore invest two percent of its economic output in defense. “This two percent is a minimum,” emphasized the Norwegian.

In this context, statements made by US presidential candidate Donald Trump at the weekend caused a stir. Trump said he would not defend NATO states attacked by Russia that did not meet their military spending obligations. In doing so, he questioned the alliance’s duty to provide assistance, which met with sharp criticism, especially in Europe.

Germany reaches its goal for the first time in a long time

It had previously been announced that Germany’s budget planning would meet the two percent target for the first time since the early 1990s. A spokesman for the ministry in Berlin confirmed this without giving a specific number.

For the 2024 defense budget, 19.8 billion euros are earmarked from the Bundeswehr’s special funds and around 52 billion euros in the Defense Ministry’s individual plan 14.