NATO is set to approve new military purchases as part of a major defense
spending hike
[June 05, 2025]
By LORNE COOK
BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO defense ministers are set Thursday to approve
purchasing targets for stocking up on weapons and military equipment to
better defend Europe, the Arctic and the North Atlantic, as part of a
U.S. push to ramp up security spending.
The “capability targets” lay out goals for each of the 32 nations to
purchase priority equipment like air defense systems, long-range
missiles, artillery, ammunition, drones and “strategic enablers” such as
air-to-air refueling, heavy air transport and logistics. Each nation's
plan is classified, so details are scarce.
“Today we decide on the capability targets. From there, we will assess
the gaps we have, not only to be able to defend ourselves today, but
also three, five, seven years from now,” NATO Secretary-General Mark
Rutte said.
“All these investments have to be financed,” he told reporters before
chairing the meeting at NATO’s Brussels headquarters. U.S. President
Donald Trump and his NATO counterparts will meet on June 24-25 to agree
to new defense investment goals.
Spurred on by their own security concerns, European allies and Canada
have already been ramping up military spending, including arms and
ammunition purchases, since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of
Ukraine in 2022.
At the same time, some allies balk at U.S. demands to invest 5% of their
gross domestic product in defense — 3.5% on core military spending and
1.5% on the roads, bridges, airfields and sea ports needed to deploy
armies more quickly — when they have already struggled to grow their
budgets to 2% of GDP.
Still, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that many appear on
track to agree.
“The commitment is there. 5% on defense spending," he told reporters
after stepping out of the meeting.
"When you consider the threats that we face, the urgency in the world,
it’s critical. We don’t need more flags. We need more fighting
formations. We don’t need more conferences. We need more capabilities.
Hard power.”
The new targets are assigned by NATO based on a blueprint agreed upon in
2023 — the military organization’s biggest planning shakeup since the
Cold War — to defend its territory from an attack by Russia or another
major adversary.
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NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, left, bangs a gavel to signify
the start of a meeting of NATO defense ministers at NATO
headquarters in Brussels, Thursday, June 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Virginia
Mayo)
Under those plans, NATO would aim to have up to 300,000 troops ready
to move to its eastern flank within 30 days, although experts
suggest the allies would struggle to muster those kinds of numbers.
The member countries are assigned roles in defending NATO territory
across three major zones — the high north and Atlantic area, a zone
north of the Alps, and another in southern Europe.
NATO planners believe that the targets must be met within 5-10
years, given the speed at which Russia is building its armed forces
now, and which would accelerate were any peace agreement reached to
end its war on Ukraine.
Some fear Russia might be ready to strike at a NATO country even
sooner, especially if Western sanctions are eased and Europe has not
prepared. “Are we going to gather here again and say ‘okay, we
failed a bit,’ and then maybe we start learning Russian?” Lithuanian
Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė said.
Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson also warned that while Russia is
bogged down in Ukraine right now, things could quickly change.
“We also know after an armistice or a peace agreement, of course,
Russia is going to allocate more forces closer to our vicinity.
Therefore, it’s extremely important that the alliance use these
couple of years now when Russia is still limited by its force
posture in and around Ukraine," Jonson said.
If the targets are respected, the member countries will need to
spend at least 3% of GDP on defense.
Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans said his country calculates
in the medium term that “we should spend 3.5% at least on defense,
which in the Netherlands means an additional 16 to 19 billion euro
($18-22 billion) addition to our current budget.”
The Netherlands is likely to buy more tanks, infantry fighting
vehicles and long-range missile systems, including U.S.-made
Patriots that can target aircraft, cruise missiles and shorter-range
ballistic missiles.
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