{"id":56178,"date":"2018-02-15T01:27:05","date_gmt":"2018-02-15T01:27:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/02\/15\/nato-chief-urges-defense-budget-hike-amid-command-expansion\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T12:33:50","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T12:33:50","slug":"nato-chief-urges-defense-budget-hike-amid-command-expansion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/02\/15\/nato-chief-urges-defense-budget-hike-amid-command-expansion\/","title":{"rendered":"NATO chief urges defense budget hike amid command expansion"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">BRUSSELS \u2014 NATO Secretary General <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/global\/europe\/2017\/12\/12\/stoltenberg-confirmed-for-two-more-years-as-nato-head\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">Jens Stoltenberg<\/a> on Wednesday urged European allies and Canada to keep ramping up defense spending, as the alliance expands its command headquarters in response to a more assertive Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Only eight of the 29 NATO member countries are forecast to reach this year the alliance\u2019s spending guideline of 2 percent of GDP as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2017\/09\/20\/nato-chief-welcomes-trumps-new-approach\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">the world\u2019s biggest military alliance<\/a> works to turn around over a quarter century of military cuts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTo keep our nations safe, we need more defense spending, investment in key capabilities, and forces for NATO missions and operations,\u201d Stoltenberg told reporters at a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The ministers, including U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, were to announce the creation of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/smr\/munich-security-forum\/2018\/02\/14\/us-germany-likely-home-to-new-nato-commands\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">two new command centers<\/a> to cover trans-Atlantic maritime transport routes and logistics and transport within Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/01\/25\/german-military-too-small-to-aid-collective-defense-official-says\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635944185009502266-german-militaryjpg.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">German military too small to aid \u2018collective defense,\u2019 official says<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">A large conflict would likely catch Germany&#039;s military, the Bundeswehr, completely off-guard, said Hans-Peter Bartels, parliamentary commissioner for the armed forces, in an interview with a German magazine.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. is expected to take responsibility for the Atlantic command, while Germany is best placed for the logistics hub. Allies are also likely to announce the launch of a new cyberoperations center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">NATO nations cut defense spending and slashed staffing at its commands after the Cold War, but Russia\u2019s annexation of Crimea in 2014, following its war with Georgia in 2008, has spurred the allies to boost military budgets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"690\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18045357044165.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-94115\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18045357044165.jpg.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18045357044165.jpg.jpg?resize=300,202 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18045357044165.jpg.jpg?resize=768,518 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">U.S. Secretary for Defense Jim Mattis, center, waits for the start of a meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018. NATO defense ministers begin a two-day meeting Wednesday to focus on military spending, cooperation with the European Union, and assistance to the Iraqi army. (Virginia Mayo\/Pool via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. President Donald Trump also publicly berated the Europeans and Canada at a summit last year, demanding that they start paying 2 percent on defense if they want Washington to stand by them in times of need. NATO leaders set that percentage as a guideline to aim for by 2024. Some, including Germany and Spain, will not make that benchmark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. spends more on defense than all the other allies combined.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2017\/04\/04\/68-years-of-nato-10-things-you-might-not-know-about-the-north-atlantic-treaty-organization\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"171\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635944239771323817-16236737932-200df15d49-kjpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">68 years of NATO: 10 things you might not know about the North Atlantic Treaty Organization<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Tuesday marked the 68th anniversary of NATO and to mark the occasion, Military Times has made a list of 10 things you might not know about the alliance.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the meeting Wednesday, Mattis told his allies to stump up more cash and military equipment, and provide more resources for NATO operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou can\u2019t have either, or. It\u2019s got to be cash and capabilities and contributions,\u201d was the message Mattis delivered, according to a NATO official. The official briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity because he is not permitted to speak publicly about the closed-door deliberations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Europeans and Canada have boosted defense spending in each of the last three years, but British Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson said: \u201cI\u2019ve always seen 2 percent as a floor and not a ceiling, so just to hit 2 percent doesn\u2019t mean to say you\u2019re the world\u2019s best defense partner.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe cannot expect to outsource our security obligations, Europe\u2019s security, to the United States,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">NATO allies are also expected on Thursday to launch planning for a mission to train military officers in Iraq and help build up the conflict-torn country\u2019s military academies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Lolita C. Baldor in Brussels contributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday urged European allies and Canada to keep ramping up defense spending, as the alliance expands its command headquarters in response to a more assertive Russia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":94114,"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":62,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,12,26,62],"tags":[8511],"coauthors":[1740],"class_list":["post-56178","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress","tag-europe"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"35RXSDCS4BGV7EMQDHO4S27PJ4","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/02\/15\/nato-chief-urges-defense-budget-hike-amid-command-expansion\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>NATO chief urges defense budget hike amid command expansion - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday urged European allies and Canada to keep ramping up defense spending, as the alliance expands its command headquarters in response to a more assertive Russia.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NATO chief urges defense budget hike amid command expansion\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday urged European allies and Canada to keep ramping up defense spending, as the alliance expands its command headquarters in response to a more assertive Russia.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/02\/15\/nato-chief-urges-defense-budget-hike-amid-command-expansion\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Navy Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-02-15T01:27:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-20T12:33:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lorne Cook, The Associated Press\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lorne Cook, The Associated Press\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/15\\\/nato-chief-urges-defense-budget-hike-amid-command-expansion\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/15\\\/nato-chief-urges-defense-budget-hike-amid-command-expansion\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"NATO chief urges defense budget hike amid command expansion\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2018-02-15T01:27:05+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-20T12:33:50+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/15\\\/nato-chief-urges-defense-budget-hike-amid-command-expansion\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 517,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/15\\\/nato-chief-urges-defense-budget-hike-amid-command-expansion\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP18045459316507.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"keywords\": [\n\t                \"europe\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"News\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Pentagon &amp; Congress\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/15\\\/nato-chief-urges-defense-budget-hike-amid-command-expansion\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/15\\\/nato-chief-urges-defense-budget-hike-amid-command-expansion\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/15\\\/nato-chief-urges-defense-budget-hike-amid-command-expansion\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"NATO chief urges defense budget hike amid command expansion - Navy Times\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/15\\\/nato-chief-urges-defense-budget-hike-amid-command-expansion\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/15\\\/nato-chief-urges-defense-budget-hike-amid-command-expansion\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP18045459316507.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2018-02-15T01:27:05+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-20T12:33:50+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday urged European allies and Canada to keep ramping up defense spending, as the alliance expands its command headquarters in response to a more assertive Russia.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/15\\\/nato-chief-urges-defense-budget-hike-amid-command-expansion\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/15\\\/nato-chief-urges-defense-budget-hike-amid-command-expansion\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/15\\\/nato-chief-urges-defense-budget-hike-amid-command-expansion\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP18045459316507.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP18045459316507.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/15\\\/nato-chief-urges-defense-budget-hike-amid-command-expansion\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"News\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"news\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Pentagon &amp; Congress\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"pentagon-congress\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 4,\n\t                    \"name\": \"NATO chief urges defense budget hike amid command expansion\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Navy Times\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Independent News For Sailors | Navy Times\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Navy Times\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/navy-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/navy-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Navy Times\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"NATO chief urges defense budget hike amid command expansion - Navy Times","description":"NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday urged European allies and Canada to keep ramping up defense spending, as the alliance expands its command headquarters in response to a more assertive Russia.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"NATO chief urges defense budget hike amid command expansion","og_description":"NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday urged European allies and Canada to keep ramping up defense spending, as the alliance expands its command headquarters in response to a more assertive Russia.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/02\/15\/nato-chief-urges-defense-budget-hike-amid-command-expansion\/","og_site_name":"Navy Times","article_published_time":"2018-02-15T01:27:05+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-20T12:33:50+00:00","author":"Lorne Cook, The Associated Press","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Lorne Cook, The Associated Press","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/02\/15\/nato-chief-urges-defense-budget-hike-amid-command-expansion\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/02\/15\/nato-chief-urges-defense-budget-hike-amid-command-expansion\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"NATO chief urges defense budget hike amid command expansion","datePublished":"2018-02-15T01:27:05+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-20T12:33:50+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/02\/15\/nato-chief-urges-defense-budget-hike-amid-command-expansion\/"},"wordCount":517,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/02\/15\/nato-chief-urges-defense-budget-hike-amid-command-expansion\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18045459316507.jpg.jpg","keywords":["europe"],"articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","News","Newsletters","Pentagon &amp; Congress"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/02\/15\/nato-chief-urges-defense-budget-hike-amid-command-expansion\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/02\/15\/nato-chief-urges-defense-budget-hike-amid-command-expansion\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/02\/15\/nato-chief-urges-defense-budget-hike-amid-command-expansion\/","name":"NATO chief urges defense budget hike amid command expansion - Navy Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/02\/15\/nato-chief-urges-defense-budget-hike-amid-command-expansion\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/02\/15\/nato-chief-urges-defense-budget-hike-amid-command-expansion\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18045459316507.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2018-02-15T01:27:05+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-20T12:33:50+00:00","description":"NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday urged European allies and Canada to keep ramping up defense spending, as the alliance expands its command headquarters in response to a more assertive Russia.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/02\/15\/nato-chief-urges-defense-budget-hike-amid-command-expansion\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/02\/15\/nato-chief-urges-defense-budget-hike-amid-command-expansion\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/02\/15\/nato-chief-urges-defense-budget-hike-amid-command-expansion\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18045459316507.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18045459316507.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/02\/15\/nato-chief-urges-defense-budget-hike-amid-command-expansion\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/","ad_zone":"news"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Pentagon &amp; Congress","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/","ad_zone":"pentagon-congress"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"NATO chief urges defense budget hike amid command expansion"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","name":"Navy Times","description":"Independent News For Sailors | Navy Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization","name":"Navy Times","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/navy-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/navy-logo-white.png","caption":"Navy Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Navy Times","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18045459316507.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56178","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56178"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56178\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":95919,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56178\/revisions\/95919"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56178"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56178"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56178"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=56178"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}