In his first meeting with NATO foreign ministers, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), while emphasizing the need for increased defense spending among European allies.
“President Biden has made it clear we support NATO. We are going to remain in NATO,” Blinken told reporters Thursday in Brussels. “The only way NATO can get stronger and more viable is if our partners—the nation-states that comprise this important alliance—have more capability.”
Blinken expressed hope that the meeting would result in clear pledges from allies to raise defense spending to 5 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP). This figure would more than double NATO’s current target of 2 percent, a benchmark some member states have yet to meet.
He acknowledged that the proposed 5 percent goal could not be achieved “in one year or two,” but stated that the U.S. now demands a real path forward from its allies to build a stronger NATO capable of defending its territories.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg noted that Europe and Canada have made the largest defense spending increases since the Cold War but echoed Blinken’s call for further efforts.
Speaking on his way to the meeting, Stoltenberg said he believed defense spending by European and Canadian allies would need to exceed 3 percent of GDP to meet future security challenges.
