Facing threats from several fronts, military commanders from NATO and EU have decided to boost military spending.
Top European military & NATO officials gathered in Berlin to discuss ways to deal with threats facing Europe and address concerns raised by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.
Among their multi-point agenda was also a call to boost military spending.
In the campaign trial, Trump had questioned U.S. spending on protecting its allies which raised concerns that he could withdraw from funding NATO. With Europe facing heightened tensions with Russia, this is a major concern.
On Wednesday, the European Union unveiled its biggest defense spending and research splurge to date so as to demonstrate that it can pay for its own security.
“The best answer to Mr. Trump is to prove that he’s wrong, to prove that Europe is strong enough to defend itself,” said French Admiral Philippe Coindreau, vice chief of defense staff, during a panel discussion at the Berlin Security Conference.
“I think European nations should increase their defense budgets.”
Comments made by Trump during the heat of the battle have unnerved many in Europe. Clearing the air, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has stated that the Western alliance is of “enduring importance”.
Czech General Petr Pavel, who heads NATO’s military committee, said U.S. demands for higher military spending were nothing new. He felt it is important to focus on tangible improvements in military capabilities rather than fixating on the 2% target, which he felt was “too far and too big” for many NATO members to meet anytime soon.
Following the breakup of the Soviet Union, European members of NATO had cut their defense budgets to historic lows, leaving the United States to make up for the balance expenditure for the military alliance.
However, in the wake of Russia’s annexation of Crimea, which belonged to Ukraine, and in the wake of growing threats from Islamist militants, defence spending has been on the rise.
However only Poland, Britain, Greece and Estonia meet NATO’s goal of spending at least 2% of the EU’s member states GDP on defense.
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