On June 5, during a key meeting in Brussels, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth made a strong request to NATO allies. He said that all NATO countries should increase their defense budgets to 5% of their gross domestic product (GDP). This announcement was made at the opening of a gathering of NATO defense ministers.
The call for higher military budget is not new. It continues an earlier push started by current President Donald Trump last year. At that time, President Trump also asked NATO countries to raise their defense budgets to 5% of GDP. This is more than double the earlier minimum goal of 2% that NATO members had agreed on years ago.
According to Secretary Hegseth, most NATO countries have still not reached the 2% target. As a result, the United States has been paying a much larger share for the defense of all NATO members. This situation, as explained by Hegseth, is seen as “unfair” to American taxpayers. The US believes that since NATO protects all of its member countries, every country should pay its fair share.
Secretary Hegseth stated that the goal is to make the 5% target official during the NATO summit scheduled for June 24–25 in The Hague, Netherlands. He emphasized that this increase is important and that the US expects it to be adopted by all member nations.
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Why Is NATO Spending Important?
NATO, or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is a group of countries that promise to protect each other if any one of them is attacked. The alliance was created after World War II to keep peace in Europe and North America. Over time, it has grown to include 32 countries.
To keep NATO strong, each member is expected to spend money on its military. This includes buying equipment, training soldiers, and building defenses. In 2014, NATO members agreed that each country should spend at least 2% of its GDP on defense. But even now, many countries are still not spending that much.
The US has long been the biggest contributor to NATO’s budget. This has led to frustration among American leaders who feel that the US is doing more than its fair share. The new call for 5% spending shows that the US wants other countries to step up and do more.
At the meeting in Brussels, Secretary Hegseth made it clear: the time for talk is over. He wants action before the end of this month, when NATO leaders meet in The Hague. The focus of that summit will be on this spending issue and the situation in Ukraine.
Other NATO Members Responding to the Pressure
Some countries have already started taking steps to raise their defense budgets. For example, Bulgaria announced plans to increase its military budget to 3.5% of its GDP by the year 2032. This decision is tied to growing concerns about regional security, especially in Eastern Europe.
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Even though Bulgaria’s goal is still below the US-recommended 5%, it shows that some NATO members are trying to move in the right direction. Still, many countries are far from reaching even the earlier 2% target, which makes the US demand even more urgent.
Meanwhile, other NATO-related meetings are continuing around the world. On June 4, a meeting known as the Ukraine Defense Contact Group took place. This group brings together countries that are helping Ukraine with defense support. However, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth did not attend that meeting. A US official confirmed his absence but did not provide specific reasons.
The upcoming NATO summit in The Hague will likely be a major event. Leaders from around the world are expected to attend. The two main topics will be how much each country is spending on defense and what to do about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
With less than a month left before the summit, pressure is building. The US wants other NATO countries to match its level of commitment by putting more money into their military budgets. Whether they will agree remains to be seen.
