NATO meets in Turkey: Focus on defense!

NATO meets in Turkey: Focus on defense!

On May 14, 2025, NATO foreign ministers gather in Turkey to advise on the US claims to increase defense spending. In Belek, near Antalya, the focus of the meeting is to reach an agreement until the upcoming NATO summit in June. The United States urges that all member states spend five percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) for defense, a claim that most NATO partners do not consider to be implemented at short notice. The official NATO goal is currently at least two percent of GDP for defense spending.

In the context of the negotiations, a possible compromise is discussed in which the fulfillment of the US claim could be achieved by increasing expenses for militarily usable infrastructure. A proposal stipulates that 3.5 percent of GDP is used for classic defense spending and 1.5 percent for infrastructures, such as new ice rink lines.

Current defense spending

The NATO countries plan to spend around 2.71 percent of their GDP for defense for 2024, which corresponds to a total amount of around $ 1.5 trillion. European Allies and Canada are to apply 2.02 percent of GDP, which corresponds to around $ 507 billion. According to the [Tagesschau] (https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/europa/nato- expenditure-vereidigung-faq-100.html), an increase in defense spending by 10.9 percent is to be expected compared to the previous year, with European allies and Canada an increase of 17.9 percent.

The public issues of the NATO states for defense have increased significantly from $ 943 billion since 2014. This development is partially influenced by the admission of new Member States such as Montenegro, Northern Macedonia, Finland and Sweden. Furthermore, the Russian attack war on Ukraine and the associated changed threat perception increased the need to invest in defense.

goals and consequences

The NATO two percent goal was initially taken without obligation in 2002 and only in 2014 to achieve this goal with the intention to achieve this goal by 2024. In 2024, Germany is expected to exceed the mark of over two percent (2.12 %) for defense expenditure for the first time, which is due to new calculation adjustments. A special fund of 100 billion euros was largely planned for the procurement of large devices.

In addition, the Czech head of government shows openness to the discussion about higher defense spending by suggesting a goal of 3 percent. Reactions to the US demands are different in Germany, with criticism of the inadequate defense spending during the Trump administration.

In the context of these developments, it is remarkable that according to Statista the military editions of the NATO countries are subject to a continuous increase in the growing importance of security issues for the member states underline.