{"id":76234,"date":"2020-10-21T20:43:43","date_gmt":"2020-10-21T20:43:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/10\/21\/natos-defense-spending-targets-now-gold-standard-all-allies-should-meet-key-trump-officials-say\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:16:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:16:09","slug":"natos-defense-spending-targets-now-gold-standard-all-allies-should-meet-key-trump-officials-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2020\/10\/21\/natos-defense-spending-targets-now-gold-standard-all-allies-should-meet-key-trump-officials-say\/","title":{"rendered":"NATO\u2019s defense spending targets now \u2018gold standard\u2019 all allies should meet, key Trump officials say"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON and PORSTMOUTH, New Hampshire \u2014 Two of the Trump administration\u2019s top national security officials have signaled in the last week that the NATO target<\/a> of spending 2 percent of gross domestic product on defense is now the \u201cgold standard\u201d being applied to all allies around the globe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While not a hard figure from the administration, the target may catch the attention of allies in the wake of years of comments<\/a> from President Donald Trump that those nations are not spending enough<\/a> on defense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Tuesday, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper appeared at the Atlantic Council. Buried in the middle of a wide-ranging speech<\/a>, Esper said that the Trump administration urges \u201call member states to uphold their commitments and contribute more to our collective security. This goes beyond NATO as well. We expect all allies to invest more in defense, at least 2 percent of GDP, as the floor.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe also expect them to be ready, capable and willing to deploy when trouble calls, and we expect them to stand shoulder to shoulder with the United States in confronting Chinese bad behavior and Russian aggression,\u201d Esper continued. \u201cTo overcome the increasingly complex threats in the 21st century and defend our shared values, there can be no free riders to our common security.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Esper\u2019s comments came several days after National Security Advisor Robert O\u2019Brien indicated in an Oct. 16 speech that the U.S. views the 2 percent target as a \u201cbenchmark\u201d for ally Taiwan to hit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve upped their defense spending, I\u2019m told now they\u2019re getting closer to 2 percent which would be a NATO level \u2014 obviously Taiwan\u2019s not part of NATO but that would be kind of a benchmark \u2014 and they probably need to go beyond that given the buildup of Chinese forces especially across the Taiwan Strait,\u201d O\u2019Brien said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While traveling in New Hampshire Oct. 21, O\u2019Brien responded to a question from Defense News, saying \u201cWhat\u2019s happened is a 2 percent has become the gold standard, and countries, even non-NATO countries, want to hit it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think we\u2019ve really set a gold standard,\u201d O\u2019Brien said. \u201cWe made 2 percent the benchmark.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the 2014 Wales summit, NATO leaders agreed<\/a> each nation would aim to spend 2 percent of its gross domestic product on defense by 2024. The measure was non-binding and even at the time there was widespread speculation that all allied nations could ever get there, but the agreement was seen as a symbolic show of unity in the immediate aftermath of Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukrainian territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was also a pledge that European officials, behind closed doors, now admit may have been a mistake. Early on in his first campaign, Trump focused in on the idea that NATO nations \u201cowed\u201d the U.S. money for not hitting the 2 percent target, and he has repeatedly railed <\/a>against those nations who are not spending at that benchmark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While experts argue that the focus on 2 percent is flawed \u2014 Greece, which annually clears that threshold, is often held up as an example, given that more than 75 percent<\/a> of its defense spending goes to personnel or pension costs \u2014 it has proven to be a reliable talking point for administration officials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting aside the NATO nations, some key defense allies and partners include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n