NATO Allies Agree on Record Defense Spending Pledge at Brussels Summit
All 32 member states committed to spending at least 2.5% of GDP on defense by 2030.
Leaders of all 32 NATO member states agreed on Wednesday to raise the alliance's defense spending target to 2.5% of GDP by 2030, a significant step up from the 2% benchmark that has defined the alliance's ambitions for the past decade.
The announcement came at the conclusion of a two-day summit in Brussels focused on long-term alliance cohesion in the face of continued conflict in Europe and growing geopolitical competition in the Indo-Pacific region.
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called the new pledge "a historic commitment that will make our alliance stronger and our countries safer."
The United States, which has long pressed European allies to shoulder a greater share of collective defense, welcomed the announcement. European members including Germany, France, and Italy — which historically lagged behind the spending target — have all recently increased their defense budgets significantly.