NATO chief announces record spending – and counters Trump

Stoltenberg announces high defense spending – and firmly rejects Trump. Meanwhile, NATO defense ministers continue their meeting.

Brussels – NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has accused former US President Donald Trump of shaking the foundations of the transatlantic alliance. At the same time, he announced that this year 18 member countries will exceed the target of two percent of gross domestic product (GDP) for defense spending.

Trump threatened during a campaign rally in South Carolina on Saturday (February 10) that if he were re-elected US president, he would not “protect” any NATO member that does not invest at least two percent of its GDP in defense . Furthermore, he would then recommend that Russia “do whatever the hell they want to do.” This statement and the questioning of the obligation to provide assistance awakened old fears, as Trump had already described the defense alliance as “obsolete” during his term as US President.

“Increased risk” for NATO soldiers due to Trump – Jens Stoltenberg believes in deterrence

Stoltenberg reacted quickly and expressed his concerns the next day that Trump's rhetoric was “exposing American and European soldiers to increased risk.” Ahead of a meeting of defense ministers on Wednesday (February 14), he stressed that “no room should be left for miscalculations or misunderstandings in Moscow.”

The NATO Secretary General emphasized that “dThe credibility of NATO's deterrence is not undermined” should be allowed, since deterrence lies “in the minds of our opponents”. He noted that at least 18 NATO members are expected to exceed the goal of spending more than 2 percent of GDP on defense this year. This would be “another record number. And a sixfold increase compared to 2014, when only three allies reached the goal.”

Not “like a rabbit before a snake”: Germany will meet the two percent target

Germany will comply with the NATO requirement for the first time since 1992, which was also confirmed by a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, although without giving an exact number. The news agency later reported dpa, that spending will amount to 68.58 billion euros or 2.01 percent of GDP. However, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) emphasized that Berlin's new approach to defense spending had nothing to do with Trump. It is based on his own assessment. Pistorius advised not “like staring at the possible Republican presidential candidate as a rabbit in front of a snake“, but to become active yourself.

According to Stoltenberg, by 2024 the allies in Europe will “collectively have $380 billion [355 Milliarden Euro] invest in defense. This would increase the partners' total spending to $600 billion (€560 billion). The Secretary General warned the 13 other alliance partners at the meeting to also fulfill their obligations promptly. He recalled the summit decision from last year, according to which all member states of the alliance wanted to increase their defense spending, and emphasized that two percent was “a minimum”.

NATO continues meeting – Russian anti-satellite nuclear weapons cause excitement

In addition to Trump's statements, an intelligence report also caused unrest at NATO, according to which Russia plans to station nuclear anti-satellite weapons in space. US media had previously reported that intelligence services had collected information about new nuclear ambitions. This is about nuclear capabilities against satellites in space, which could pose a threat to national and international security. According to the New York Times The US Congress and allies in Europe were informed of the plans by the US. However, Defense Minister Pistorius has no information about this. “As far as I know, these reports are very, very new, at least for me,” Pistorius said on Thursday.