NATO Leaders Convene with 5% Target in Discussion

Today marks the second day of the Hague NATO summit, which sees NATO Heads of State and Government convene to discuss defence strategy and spending amid geopolitical fragility and heightened tensions.

According to the alliance, “NATO Allies will take decisions […] to make NATO a stronger, fairer and more lethal Alliance.” This comes against the backdrop of “a more dangerous world” and “a critical moment for our security.”

A central component of this summit will be discussions around the proposed increase in defence spending, given the new target of 5% of GDP. The three-percentage-point increase comes amid pressure from the Trump Administration for European member states to carry more of the burden.

While nations such as the UK, France, Germany, and the Netherlands have endorsed the 5% defence spending target, others like Spain and Slovakia have voiced concerns and hesitations—not least given present levels of economic uncertainty. It’s also not lost on anyone that many member states took well over a decade to hit their Wales 2014 commitment to spend 2% of GDP on defence, with countries including Canada, Italy and Spain still yet to achieve this target.

It’s worth noting that Washington will try to get their allies to commit to the 5% target by splitting it down into 3.5% for conventional military spending and 1.5% for defence-related spending, including cyber security and infrastructure.

Amidst the conference, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has committed to increasing the UK’s defence spending to 5% of GDP by 2035. This marks a significant rise from the current 2.3% level, and the 3% target by 2034. As above, the 5% target includes 3.5% for core defence and 1.5% for resilience and security, to meet what the PM calls an “era of radical uncertainty.”

During the conference, it’s understood that the government agreed to purchase 12 new F-35A fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear weapons and participating in NATO’s airborne nuclear mission.

It is hoped that this strategy will integrate national security objectives with economic growth, with Starmer aiming to create jobs and attract investment in the process.

However, critics of Starmer lament that no additional cash has been promised to fund the increase. For example, former Defence Secretary Sir Ben Wallace said, “This government thinks it can use smoke and mirrors to deceive the public and Donald Trump. This is an insult to our troops who will see no significant new money. It fools no one.”

Attention now turns to The Hague for the second day of the NATO Conference.