The NATO general secretary, Mark Rutte, has formally proposed this Thursday that the members of the block allocate 5% of GDP to defense spending, after announcing a formula for the allies to dedicate 3.5% to “pure” military investment and reserve 1.5% in expenses related to the army, also for infrastructure and defense industry.
After the NATO Defense Ministers Meeting that has agreed to the new military capacities requirements, the former Dutch Prime Minister has confirmed his initiative for The Summit of the Bee that will be held on June 24 and 25, in which NATO leaders are expected to agree the new pact.
“I will propose to the allies an expenditure objective in defense of 5%consisting of a 3.5% pure defense that can be compared to the old 2% and 1.5% in investments related to security and defense, “Rutte reported at a press conference from Brussels, although he has avoided setting a deadline for the allies to fulfill this goal.
In this last section, NATO will consider issues such as military mobility, the development of the industrial base and preparation in situations of conflict and emergency, has detailed.
Will claim annual plans
Rutte has detailed that NATO will claim to the allies “annual plans” to show the budget increase every year, so that the organization avoids repeating the situation of the commitment of 2% that the majority of members will fulfill the period of a decade after.
As indicated by the leader of the Atlantic Alliance, there is “broad support” to the proposal, although some allies such as Spain have raised their frontal rejection and maintains that 2% in defense is “enough” to fulfill the commitments with NATO. “We are very close. But this is always a great decision,” he said on an agreement that has to be taken unanimously within the organization.
Rutte has expressed his “total confidence” that the allies will agree on the proposal of 5% when they meet in The Hague, although he has indicated that he plays “polish some details” of the initiative here at the end of the month.
This proposal follows from the security analysis, NATO and the adoption of the new objectives of capacities agreed among the allies, which will require a 3.5% investment of GDP, to which NATO now adds a 1.5% item to develop these capacities, thus reaching the figure that the president of the United States, Donald Trump, to the rest of the Alliance.
Faced with criticism for raising military spending and the scenario that this budget detracts from health or education, the NATO leader has stressed that shooting the investment in defense is due to the fact that the “world is different” and from the Russian invasion of Ukraine “change is amazing.”
That is why he has defended that politicians explain this new scenario to their societies and explain that as “rich societies” is an effort that can be carried out to guarantee the security of the European continent.
“We have to start now, because otherwise, within three, four or five years, we will be really threatened,” he said about the security in the Euro -Atlantic zone.
