The NATO defense spending has increased for the first time since 2009
Moscow. March 13. INTERFAX.RU European NATO countries and Canada under pressure from the United States are increasing their military spending, but to a different extent.
As published on Monday the annual report of NATO’s total defence spending of the Alliance members has increased in 2016 to 2.43% of GDP, compared with 2.4% in 2015, and this is the first increase since 2009.
Defence spending last year made up 3.61% of GDP, and the European members of NATO spent an average of 1.47%. Only Estonia, Greece, Poland and the United States achieved its goal of NATO to increase defence spending to at least 2% of GDP.
Germany last year increased its defence spending to 1.2% of GDP last year compared with 1.18% in the previous one, while Spain decreased to 0.9% from 0,93%, and France — to 1.79% from 1.80%.
The second North American member of NATO — has brought Canada’s military budget to 1.02% of GDP compared to 0.98 percent in 2015.
United States continues to provide approximately 70% of defense spending of NATO, and defense Minister James Mattis in the middle of February in Brussels warned allies that Washington may reduce financial support of the Alliance, if the other members will not increase their share.
“Never after the cold war, the Alliance was not facing a more serious security challenges than it is today. But because NATO is the most successful military Alliance in history that is changing as the world changes,” wrote in the Foreword to the report, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.