US reiterates call for NATO members to spend 5 per cent of GDP on defence
The US ambassador to NATO has called on alliance members to spend at least 5 per cent of their GDP on defence. Matthew Whitaker said the US was open to broader defence-related spending, such as infrastructure, counting towards the target.
NATO members agree they will have to increase their military spending beyond 2 per cent of GDP. How much will be negotiated by the alliance's 32 countries before their summit in The Hague at the end of June. US president Donald Trump wants NATO to move towards a spending target of 5 per cent.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Whitaker reiterated the country's position. "5 per cent is not just a number, it is a necessity for our security," he told reporters in Brussels. "The alliance is facing significant threats."
"5 per cent is not just a number, it is a necessity for our security"
However, he left room for broader security-related investments to count towards that figure. NATO's spending target "also includes things like mobility, necessary infrastructure, cybersecurity. It is definitely more than just missiles, tanks and howitzers," he said.
Whitaker's statement echoes a compromise proposed by NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte, where member states could spend 3.5 per cent on defence and the remaining 1.5 per cent on infrastructure and cybersecurity. Whitaker warned that the investments would have to be defence-related, saying "it is is not a grab bag for everything that you could possibly imagine".
Trump has long called for an increase in NATO spending, including during his first term as president. But by the end of 2024, only 22 of the 32 members had met the previously agreed 2 per cent target. Belgium recently committed to reaching the target by the end of 2025.
Some members question the feasibility of raising the target further. Before the summit in The Hague, Foreign ministers will discuss the issue at an informal meeting in Antalya, Turkey.
US ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker and US secretary of state Marco Rubio at NATO headquarters in Brussels, April 2025 © PHOTO NICOLAS TUCAT / AFP
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