US EditionGermany backs Trump’s push for 5% NATO defense spending target
- NATO members, led by Germany and the US, are discussing increasing defense spending to 5% of GDP ahead of the June 24–25 summit in The Hague.
- This initiative follows longstanding US demands, particularly from President Trump, to boost military investments beyond the current 2% target due to rising security threats.
- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz pledged greater responsibility within NATO, noting that each extra percentage point of GDP equals about €45 billion more annually for defense.
- At a NATO meeting in Turkey, Germany’s top diplomat expressed Berlin’s general agreement with President Trump’s call for NATO members to boost defense spending to 5% of GDP, though some officials recognize that reaching this target will be challenging yet crucial for the alliance’s resilience.
- The proposal remains under negotiation, with expectations that it will mark NATO’s largest military investment since the Cold War and aim to close capability gaps by 2032.
209 Articles
209 Articles
Merz' Minister in Charge of Armaments
Is that tactic or over zeal? German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has caused amazement in the Berlin government district with a marked announcement of armaments on a foreign date. Now nobody wants to have known about it ... Germany wants to spend five percent of its gross domestic product for defense in the future. Rumms! That would currently be more than 200 billion euros. An enormous sum that blows up everything that has happened. The annou…
5% Target on a Substantial Increase in NATO's Military and Security Expenditure
NATO countries now appear on the path to an "ambitious" increase in their military and security spending, demanded with insistence by Donald Trump and to which Berlin and Paris have joined.
Surprise defense spending pledge splits German coalition
BERLIN — German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul’s unexpected support for a dramatic increase in defense spending to 5 percent of GDP is dividing the country’s ruling coalition. The target represents a steep increase from the 2 percent of GDP that Germany now spends and is in line with demands from U.S. President Donald Trump. NATO’s current target, set in 2014, is for members to spend at least 2 percent of GDP on defense, but that is likely to …
A surplus of defence riches, but lack of skill and experience
Analysis - The minister of defence, space and spy issues has at least $9 billion of new money to spend, but is also grappling with a defence force that is demonstrably not ready to spend it, writes Phil Pennington.
Germany Backs NATO’s 5% Defense Spending Goal as Italy, Spain Lag
Germany’s government, led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, confirmed its support for NATO’s proposed 5% GDP defense spending target by 2032, a decision announced by Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul at a NATO meeting in Antalya, Turkey, on May 15, 2025. This move responds to U.S. President Donald Trump’s demand for higher contributions. Meanwhile, Italy and Spain […]
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