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NATO nations must raise their defence spending to five per cent and end ‘reliance’ on the United States, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told NATO allies today.
‘Our message is going to continue to be clear,’ Hegseth said during a meeting with NATO counterparts in Brussels.
‘It’s a deterrence and peace through strength, but it can’t be reliance. It cannot and will not be reliance on America in a world of a lot of threats.’
Hegseth, standing alongside NATO chief Mark Rutte, repeated calls made in February for Europe to take more involvement in defence as the US pivots east.
‘Every shoulder has to be to the plough,’ he said. ‘Every country has to contribute at that level of 5% as a recognition of the threat.’
He did soften some of the rhetoric employed earlier this year, assuring allies that the US is ‘proud to be here’ and to ‘stand with our allies’, while urging NATO members to shoulder more of the financial burden.
Arriving in Brussels this morning, Rutte told reporters he expects allies will ‘agree on capability targets’ today.
‘What we will do today is to decide what do we need…to defend ourselves,’ he said.
‘So, as you know, to prepare for war, spend more. And when you originally prepared for war, you will not be attacked.’
Pete Hegseth speaks as he delivers remarks with NATO Secretary General before a Defence Ministers meeting at the NATO headquarters, in Brussels, on June 5, 2025
Hegseth told reporters ahead of today’s summit in Brussels that he believes the five per cent defence and security spending commitment ‘will happen’.
‘We’re here to continue the work that President Trump started, which is a commitment to 5% defence spending across the alliance, which we think will happen,’ he said.
The US president has said NATO allies should boost investment in defence to 5% of gross domestic product, up from the current target of 2%.
‘To be an alliance, you got to be more than flags. You got to be formations,’ Hegseth reiterated as he arrived on Thursday.
‘You got to be more than conferences. You need to be, keep combat ready capabilities.’
Still, most partners are some way off the 5% target sought by the United States.
All members increased their military spending in 2024 against the backdrop of the War in Ukraine.
Total military spending amounted to $1506bn, or 55% of global military expenditure, with 18 of 32 members spending at least 2% of GDP on their militaries, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
Of that sum, the US alone spent $997bn, or 66% of the bloc’s total spend.
