Europe Is Boosting Military Spending. It’s Still Not Enough.
BRUSSELS—With a war raging nearby and the threat that a second Trump administration could pull the U.S. out of NATO, Europe has ratcheted up military spending. Arms manufacturers are working around-the clock, and new factories are going up to meet demand.
But Europe has a long way to go—and tough choices to make—if it aims to reduce its dependence on U.S. military support and face down Russian aggression. Although Donald Trump hasn’t yet secured the Republican presidential nomination, he has already reshaped U.S.
debate over international security alliances. The shift is evident in his campaign speeches blasting European members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, in House Republicans’ blockage of military aid to Ukraine and Israel, and in critical comments from a growing number of Republican politicians. Acrimony in the U.S.
over its stance toward Ukraine, Europe and NATO contrasts with spreading conviction in Europe that a more muscular defense posture is vital due to Russia’s growing belligerence. The shift predates Trump’s recent attacks. This year, for the first time in decades, European NATO members together will spend 2% of their combined gross domestic product on their militaries, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday.
The $380 billion spending total masks wide variation, he cautioned, with some countries above or below the threshold that they agreed in 2014 to reach this year. “So we are making real progress," Stoltenberg said before NATO defense ministers gathered for a regular meeting at alliance headquarters. “European allies are spending more." The spending might not be enough to sway U.S.
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