NATO's bid for 3% GDP defense spending gains momentum
Admiral Rob Bauer, chairman of the NATO Military Committee, emphasizes the need to increase defense spending to about 3% of GDP to meet the Alliance's new plans, reports PAP. He noted that, at present, Russia does not pose the same threat as it did in February 2022, giving member countries time to prepare.
5:47 PM EST, November 25, 2024
According to Bauer, Russian ground troops are now larger than at the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, but their quality has deteriorated.
"Currently, Russia does not pose the same threat as in February 2022, so we have some time to prepare," he remarked, as quoted by PAP, adding that increased investment in the defense industry is necessary.
The implementation of new NATO defense plans involves a need for greater financial contributions. "The total percentage needed to execute new plans is much closer to 3% of GDP than 2%," Bauer stressed.
Debate on increased defense spending in NATO
The discussion on defense spending dates back to the years of Donald Trump's presidency in the US, during which he demanded that all allies allocate 3% of GDP to defense. Bauer predicts that under the new American administration, a more intense debate on increasing defense spending by Europe and Canada will arise.
In November, during NATO military exercises in Latvia, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte noted that European countries of the Alliance spend an average of 2% of GDP on defense, which is insufficient. "We will have to conduct a debate on increased spending," he said at the time.
Admiral Rob Bauer, the highest-ranking NATO military officer, is the 33rd chairman of the Alliance's Military Committee. From 2017 to 2021, he commanded the Dutch armed forces, overseeing the first four years of significant investments after decades of budget cuts.
