NATO plans to urge its European allies and Canada to increase their stockpiles of weapons and military equipment by around 30% over the coming years, Bloomberg reports, citing a senior Alliance official.
Discussions are underway on new capability targets for NATO member states, which will replace those established before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The aim is to adopt these new goals by early June when the Alliance’s defense ministers will gather in Brussels.
According to sources, meeting these new targets will require significant financial outlays from most European allies and Canada, while US spending will remain largely unchanged.
This move by NATO is a response to Russia’s threat and to US President Donald Trump’s push to shift more of the defense burden onto the other members of the Alliance.
One official noted that the new targets will call for a 30% increase in equipment across all sectors, although some specific categories will grow much more or less than others.
The senior NATO official emphasized that these new targets, which will take 5 to 15 years to implement, will result in European and Canadian NATO forces becoming much stronger and less dependent on the US.
Trump has repeatedly accused NATO members of taking advantage of Washington by underfunding their own defense. He has warned that the US would step back from its traditional role as Europe’s security guarantor and has demanded that allies spend 5% of GDP on defense—a target many consider unrealistic.
NATO members now expect the US to reduce its military presence in Europe as its focus shifts toward the Indo-Pacific region.
Since Trump won the US presidential election, European countries have been working to boost defense spending and rethink their military posture.
Five key areas will be prioritized in the coming period: air defense systems, long-range strike capabilities, logistics, communications, and information systems, and ground maneuver capabilities. These will be backed by increased stockpiles of weapons and spare parts. Air defense systems were specifically highlighted as an area where all NATO members, including the US, need to enhance their capabilities.
However, even if Europe reaches its goals of increasing defense capabilities, the US would remain an essential backbone in intelligence and reconnaissance, logistics, and nuclear submarines.
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