NATO members reluctant to endorse Trump’s defence spending proposal

Sub: IR

Sec: Int groupings

Context:

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump proposed that NATO member countries should spend 5% of their GDP on defence, a sharp increase from the current target of 2%.
While the proposal is seen as politically and economically unfeasible for most countries, there is likely to be a new, higher target set at the NATO summit in June, possibly around 3% of GDP.

Defence Spending of NATO Countries:

Among NATO members, Poland, which borders Ukraine, spends the highest proportion of GDP on defence at 12%, followed by Estonia at 3.43%, and the United States at 3.38%.
The combined defence spending of NATO members in 2024 was estimated at $1.474 trillion, with the S. contributing the largest share at approximately $968 billion.
In response to Russia’s actions in Ukraine, many European countries have increased their defence spending in recent years. However, these increases are still not enough to meet more ambitious targets.

NATO:

Formed in 1949 with the signing of the Washington Treaty, NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) is a security alliance of 32 countries from North America and Europe.
In March 2024, Sweden became the latest member of NATO.
It started with 12 founding members: the United States, Canada, and ten European countries: Belgium, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, and the United Kingdom.
NATO’s fundamental goal is to safeguard the Allies’ freedom and security by political and military means.
NATO’s core principle is collective defence, as outlined in Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty. If one member is attacked, all other members are obligated to come to its defence.
Headquarter – Brussels, Belgium.