Earlier in anticipation of the NATO summit scheduled for June 24-25 in the Netherlands, Sweden and the Netherlands announced plans to increase their defense spending. They’ve set a goal of raising that to 5% of their gross domestic product (GDP). This decision is the result of increased security concerns after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
In response to the invasion, NATO’s 32 allies took an unprecedented step. United by their common uncertainty, they each committed to increase their military spending to at least 2% of GDP. As of now, the Netherlands is already close to meeting this benchmark, pouring a rounded 2.06% of its GDP into military budgets. Among NATO’s member states, 22 have done so long before this new baseline. Poland and the Baltic states—Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania—have audaciously pledged to an even higher target of 5%.
Mark Rutte, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, indicated that most NATO allies are poised to endorse this ambitious goal. The United States is making an immediate push for countries to spend more on defense. They are calling for a near-term deadline for these commitments.
NATO allies have pledged to reach a new guideline of 5%. They intend to devote a further 1.5% of GDP to infrastructure upgrades—roads, bridges, ports, airports and so on. The report recommends increasing core defense spending to 3.5%. This massive budget boost will pay for urgently needed military materials such as main battle tanks, warplanes, air defense systems, missiles, and more military personnel recruitment.
The Dutch government has said it will increase defense spending to 3.5% of GDP. This announcement is the latest in their efforts to expect to hit the ambitious 5% goal. Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans called this decision “historic,” and it’s hard to overstate the profound changes in the geopolitical environment that have made such a decision necessary.
Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson articulated the necessity of this increased spending based on his country’s geographical position.
“We are in a specific geographical situation where we need to meet the future threats from Russia,” – Ulf Kristersson
The original deadline for achieving their 5% spending goal was 2032. Yet NATO ally and EU member Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte sounded alarms that Russia could attempt an invasion of NATO territory by 2030. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced recently that Italy intends to meet this target for defense spending.
The calls for expanding defense spending come as priorities across the international security landscape are changing. Former President Donald Trump has previously stated that Europe must focus on its own security needs while the United States directs its attention toward challenges posed by China.
