Dutch NATO Math Portends Uphill Battle for Europe on Defense Spending

Nato faces a make-or-break decision about how to protect Europe and its future in next few weeks

Nato is facing a pivotal moment in its history. Ahead of its June 24-25 summit in The Hague, Nato is weighing up whether it can truly continue to count on US support (and membership), whether it will become a European-only organisation, or whether it has a future at all. This suggests a massive shift for the intergovernmental organisation that sits at the heart of defence and security for Europe, and beyond. The past year has changed everything.…

Dutch NATO math portends uphill battle for Europe on defense spending

PARIS — The Netherlands worked out the costs of meeting NATO’s new capability targets, providing a taste of the billion-euro budget challenge European members of the alliance face to boost their military posture in the face of a more aggressive Russia.The Dutch calculate that meeting their share of the targets will cost at least €16 billion to €19 billion ($18 billion-$21 billion) a year on top of the existing defense budget, Defence Minister Ru…

Can NATO’s Middle Powers Lead the Alliance Without the US?

With the recent pivot in US foreign policy regarding Europe and NATO, it has become clear that NATO’s European members need to ramp up spending on defense, and the time of relying on the US for defense in Europe is over. Many would argue that it’s well overdue, with Trump saying that NATO members should […] The post Can NATO’s Middle Powers Lead the Alliance Without the US? appeared first on Modern Diplomacy.

NATO floats cybersecurity to be included in new spending target

(Bloomberg) — NATO proposed including expenditures on cybersecurity and activities related to border and coastal security to qualify for the military alliance’s new defense-related spending target of 1.5% of GDP.

The North Atlantic Alliance has put forward the idea of including cybersecurity spending and activities related to border and coast protection in the alliance's new target of “near-military” spending of 1.5% of GDP.

NATO has proposed that the alliance ' s defence spending on cybersecurity and activities related to border and coastal security be included so that they can approach the new target of 1.5 per cent of GDP for defence spending.