{"id":38974,"date":"2016-01-28T16:31:07","date_gmt":"2016-01-28T16:31:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2016\/01\/28\/stoltenberg-nato-defense-spending-on-firmer-footing\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:11:42","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:11:42","slug":"stoltenberg-nato-defense-spending-on-firmer-footing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2016\/01\/28\/stoltenberg-nato-defense-spending-on-firmer-footing\/","title":{"rendered":"Stoltenberg: NATO Defense Spending on Firmer Footing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>BRUSSELS \u2014\u00a0NATO Secretary General\u00a0Jens Stoltenberg says that alliance defense spending is moving in the &#8220;right direction,&#8221; although one country, the United States, still accounts for almost three-quarters of <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">the alliance&#8217;s <\/span>total defense expenditures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span class=\"rte rte-comment\">In <\/span>NATO&#8217;s annual report, <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">which was <\/span>released here <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">in Brussels on <\/span>Thursday, noted <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">it was said <\/span>that the US\u00a0estimate stood at 72 percent of total spending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span class=\"rte rte-comment\">NATO secretary general <\/span>Stoltenberg said that last year, 16 NATO countries not only stopped cuts to defense spending but increased expenditures in real terms.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Speaking at a news conference, Stoltenberg said &#8220;cuts in defense spending by European allies have practically stopped.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>US President Barack Obama and other NATO leaders agreed in 2014 that they <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">their countries <\/span>should aim to spend 2 percent of gross domestic product on defense. Stoltenberg said that while only three countries met that goal in 2014, <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">that year, <\/span>five did in 2015: the United States, Britain, Greece, Poland and Estonia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Aggregate defense spending by NATO&#8217;s European members and Canada dropped 0.3 percent last year, just a third of the reduction the previous year, the report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Over the last year, we have started to move in the right direction,&#8221; Stoltenberg told reporters. &#8220;The picture is mixed, but the picture is better.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stoltenberg said, &#8220;Last year showed how insecurity abroad can directly affect our security at home. We saw this in the brutal terrorist attacks in our cities.\u00a0In the biggest refugee crisis in Europe since World War Two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;We also saw it in Russia&#8217;s continued actions in Ukraine.\u00a0And its recent military build-up in Syria and the eastern Mediterranean.\u00a0But last year also showed how NATO is responding.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He went on, &#8220;We implemented the greatest strengthening of our collective defense since the end of\u00a0the Cold War.\u00a0And cuts in defense spending among European allies have now practically stopped.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The official said, &#8220;We have visibly increased NATO&#8217;s presence in the eastern part of our alliance.\u00a0And to the south, we have agreed to increase the presence of AWACS early warning aircraft over Turkey, as we continue to augment Turkey&#8217;s air defenses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;We have tripled the size of the NATO Response Force to more than 40,000 troops.\u00a0And at its core is our new, very high readiness &#8216;Spearhead Force.&#8217;\u00a0 That is now operational.\u00a0 Ready within days to deploy to wherever it is needed.\u00a0I was really impressed when I saw it in action at its first deployment exercise in Poland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;We are also establishing eight force integration units or small headquarters in the eastern part of our alliance.\u00a0They support planning, training and reinforcements, if needed.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stoltenberg\u00a0continued: &#8220;To combat hybrid warfare, we are improving our intelligence and early warning. Speeding up our decision-making\u00a0and enhancing our cyber defenses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Last year, we conducted around 300 allied exercises, including the largest and most complex one in over a decade\u00a0with over 36,000 troops, 140 aircraft\u00a0and 60 ships from over 30 different nations. Exercise Trident Juncture took place in Spain, Portugal and Italy.\u00a0 A tremendous display of our capabilities and of allies&#8217; ability to work together.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Exercise activity will increase, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;We will continue to step up our exercises this year, and we will remain transparent in what we do,\u00a0as you can see from the exercise schedule we have posted online. Over the last two years, Russian air activity close to NATO&#8217;s European airspace has increased by around 70 percent.\u00a0In response, allied aircraft scrambled over 400 times to intercept Russian aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;We have made substantial progress with our new Alliance Ground Surveillance system,\u00a0including the first test flight of one of our new Global Hawk drones.\u00a0This system will provide real-time intelligence to our commanders in theater. And we have also made important steps for NATO&#8217;s ballistic missile defense system. [Including] the arrival of two more US Aegis ships based in Spain and\u00a0progress toward\u00a0the activation of the missile defense facility in Romania.\u00a0 And this spring, we will break ground for a new site in Poland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;This is a defensive system\u00a0to protect our European allies against the real threat of ballistic missiles from outside the Euro-Atlantic area.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Stoltenberg said the budget posture looks stronger.<span class=\"rte rte-comment\">&#8220;Of course, boosting our defence posture does not come for free.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;<span class=\"rte rte-comment\">And that is why <\/span>In 2014, NATO leaders committed to end the cuts, and gradually increase our defense spending.\u00a0Over the last year, we have started to move in the right direction.\u00a0After many years of substantial reductions in defense spending, the cuts have now practically stopped among European allies and Canada.\u00a0And in 2015, defence cuts were close to zero.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The report states &#8220;Five Allies now meet our guideline on spending 2 percent of GDP or more on defence.16 Allies spent more on defence in real terms in 2015.And 23 Allies increased the amount they are spending on new equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;This has taken a lot of effort.\u00a0But we all need to do more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Stoltenberg said <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">Because, to the east and to the south, we face the biggest <\/span>security challenges are the biggest &#8220;in a generation.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;NATO is at the forefront of the fight against international terrorism.\u00a0The aim of our mission in Afghanistan has been to deny safe haven to international terrorists.\u00a0We continue to train, advise and assist the Afghan Army and police.\u00a0They face significant challenges, but they are holding their ground.\u00a0We decided, in 2015, to maintain our current level of troops this year.\u00a0And we are looking at how we can contribute to the funding of the Afghan security forces until 2020.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Every NATO Ally is part of the Global Coalition to counter ISIL.\u00a0 The Coalition&#8217;s high degree of interoperability is a key asset.\u00a0 Built through years of challenging NATO-led operations and training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span class=\"rte rte-comment\">To address the root causes of instability, <\/span>NATO is increasing work with regional partners, he said. <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">working even closer with our partners in the region.\u00a0 We are building the defence capacity of Jordan.\u00a0 We will soon start training Iraqi officers.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;<span class=\"rte rte-comment\">And <\/span>We are working with Tunisia on special operations forces and intelligence to help them be stronger in defending themselves.\u00a0And working with other countries in North Africa and the Middle East.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;In the western Balkans, our mission in Kosovo continues to bring much needed security and stability to a region that has been highly volatile.\u00a0And in 2015, we took another important decision, which will advance stability in the western Balkans.\u00a0We formally invited Montenegro to begin talks to become the 29th\u00a0member of NATO.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The secretary general added, &#8220;And accession negotiations will begin in mid-February. In the east, we continue to support Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova, to better resist outside pressure.\u00a0 We help them in different ways to build their defense capacity, modernize their institutions and strengthen their reforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;In less than\u00a0six months from now, allied leaders will meet at our summit in Warsaw.\u00a0We will take the next steps to strengthen our defense and deterrence.\u00a0We will decide on the right balance between a forward presence in the east and our ability to reinforce.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;But NATO is adapting to keep our nations safe.\u00a0 In 2016, and in the years ahead, NATO will remain an anchor of stability.\u00a0 Staying strong, open for dialogue, and working with our partners around the world.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Email:\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:mbanks@defensenews.com\">mbanks@defensenews.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says that alliance defense spending is moving in the &#8220;right direction&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":82297,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[33,19],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3377],"class_list":["post-38974","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home","category-pentagon"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"YF4QOUER2VH5BIACUTE3OUZOFE","arc_canonical_url":"\/2016\/01\/28\/stoltenberg-nato-defense-spending-on-firmer-footing\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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