Will NATO countries meet their new spending goal?

The cost of keeping Trump happy

Photo composite illustration of penny jars labelled with NATO countries
Worried about Trump's threats to pull America out of the alliance, NATO leaders agreed to spend 5% on defense
(Image credit: Illustration by Stephen Kelly / Shutterstock / Getty Images)

President Donald Trump has long accused other NATO countries of being freeloaders, relying on the United States to provide the bulk of Europe's defense. Now those countries have pledged to ramp up their spending amid fears of an American pullout.

NATO leaders agreed to an "ambitious spending goal" at this week's summit, said The New York Times. They set a 2035 target of 5% of each country's national income on defense needs like "troops, weapons, shells and missiles." That more than doubles the current 2% goal, which is a "win for Trump." Some countries "may never reach these targets," though. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of Spain said his country would spend "no more, no less" than 2.1% of its GDP on defense, and small countries like Slovakia and Belgium said the 5% goal will "be impossible to meet."

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What did the commentators say?

Trump is "right that Europe needs to do more," The Washington Post said in an editorial. NATO is the "most effective, powerful and vital military alliance" in world history, but America cannot "bear a disproportionate share" of the cost. And while the U.S. commitment "should remain ironclad," Europe needs to take up more of the burden so that Washington can "make major investments" to confront the rise of China. It should be worth it to Europe: NATO is "worth fighting, and spending, to preserve."

NATO's 5% goal "misses the mark," Todd Harrison said at The Hill. Setting an "arbitrary target" for defense spending is "bad policy for both the alliance and America." The target "puts the budget ahead of strategy" and makes defense spending "subject to the whims" of the business cycle. A better approach would start with determining NATO's actual defensive needs and setting budget goals from there. The amount of spending is important, "but how we spend it is even more important."

What next?

"Key questions" still hover over NATO despite the American president's "big win," said CNN. Trump declined to offer a "full-throated endorsement" of NATO's commitment to collective self-defense that would obligate the United States to come to Europe's aid in the event of a Russian attack. America is "committed to being their friends, and I'm committed to helping them," Trump said. NATO General Secretary Mark Rutte is satisfied. The U.S. is , said Rutte, "totally committed to NATO."

Joel Mathis, The Week US

Joel Mathis is a writer with 30 years of newspaper and online journalism experience. His work also regularly appears in National Geographic and The Kansas City Star. His awards include best online commentary at the Online News Association and (twice) at the City and Regional Magazine Association.