Reaction to Russia

A good half of NATO countries reach armaments target

Countries are once again spending more money on their defense.(Bild: APA/AFP/Adrian DENNIS)

The international conflicts are apparently making NATO members more vigilant. As NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg explained on Wednesday, 18 of the 31 member states will reach the so-called two percent target this year - in some cases with new record sums.

The spending of the European partners would add up to a total of 380 billion dollars, said Stoltenberg before the start of consultations of the NATO defense ministers in Brussels - this is unprecedented.

All member states want to increase spending
Stoltenberg urged the 13 other NATO countries to fulfill their commitments quickly. He recalled the summit decision from last year, according to which all member states of the alliance want to increase their defense spending. "This two percent is a minimum," emphasized the Norwegian.

The NATO countries are once again spending more money on their defense.(Bild: APA/AFP/Adrian DENNIS)

Stoltenberg mentioned an increase in defense spending of eleven percent.(Bild: APA/AFP/JOHN THYS)

It was previously announced that Germany, for example, is budgeting for planned defense spending amounting to two percent of its gross domestic product for the first time in three decades.

"Have NATO's nuclear deterrent"
The NATO Secretary General also spoke out against an additional system of nuclear deterrence in Europe. "We have NATO's nuclear deterrent and this has offered NATO allies the ultimate security guarantees for decades." It is important to ensure that the functioning system remains safe and reliable, said Stoltenberg. Its credibility must not be undermined.

The US nuclear weapons stationed in Europe should therefore remain the core of the nuclear deterrent, and countries such as Germany could also be involved in their use via the concept of "nuclear sharing". According to Stoltenberg, another component of nuclear deterrence are the nuclear weapons that the European NATO states of Great Britain and France possess.

Record sum in Germany
According to the current NATO forecast, the sum represents a GDP ratio of 2.01 percent. In the past, according to documents from the NATO archives, Germany last spent two percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) in 1992. In the Cold War years, the ratio was usually over three percent.

Clear message for Trump
The current figures are a clear signal, especially in view of the statements made by former US President and recent presidential candidate Donald Trump. During a campaign appearance at the weekend, he said that the "president of a great country" had once asked him whether the USA would still protect this country from Russia if it did not pay its defense spending. He replied: "No, I would not protect you." In fact, he said, he would "even encourage Russia to do whatever the hell they want".

NATO two-percent target

The two percent target is a directive of the military alliance, which is intended to contribute to strengthening the common security of the member states. The funding limit is also intended to ensure that everyone can contribute their fair share to the defense of the alliance and guarantee military readiness. The USA is the largest contributor to NATO, both in absolute terms and in relation to GDP.

The new figures in Germany represent an increase in defense spending of more than 20 percent compared to the previous year, according to NATO circles. In the last public report on the defense spending of the alliance states, a comparative figure of only 56.64 billion dollars and a GDP ratio of 1.57 percent was given for Germany for 2023. These figures will be revised upwards in the upcoming report.

Reaction to international conflicts
With the drastic increase in defense spending, the nations are reacting in particular to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. A significant strengthening of deterrence and defense is intended to make it clear to Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin that an attack on a European NATO country would have no chance of success.

NATO plans to present a new public overview with data on member states' defense spending in March. It will then also show how high the estimated German defense spending is in current prices. According to the German Press Agency, the internal preparatory documents for this Thursday's meeting of defense ministers only contain the inflation-adjusted comparative figures in US dollars.