NATO summit in The Hague: Five percent as a new defense target!

NATO summit in The Hague: Five percent as a new defense target!

Preparations for the NATO summit in The Hague, which will take place next week, are taking shape. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has the difficult task of convincing all member states of an ambitious five percent target for defense spending. In an ARD interview, Rutte expressed his confidence in the ability to achieve this goal. US President Donald Trump has confirmed his visit to the summit, which could have an impact on the meeting's program.

The summit program is tailored specifically to Trump and, in addition to a short summit, could also include a reception with the king and a possible round of golf. Rutte is still worried about the situation in the Middle East. Constant exchange with allies is important because there are currently no concrete plans for an alliance in accordance with Article 5.

The five percent goal

The central theme of the summit is the goal of spending five percent of the economy on security - a point that the USA in particular is vehemently demanding. According to ZDF, some NATO states do not even reach the existing two percent of gross domestic product for defense. Rutte is supported by Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, who are backing the five percent target while emphasizing that 3.5 percent should be used for the military and the rest for infrastructure and civil protection. In this context, Belgium is mentioned, which currently only spends 1.3 percent of its economic output on defense. However, political voices there consider the additional spending to be “hysterical”, while Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez described the fixed percentage as “excessive”.

The pressure on NATO members comes primarily from the USA, where Trump criticizes European defense spending and demands higher contributions. There is agreement that the politically reached compromise at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Antalya in May 2025 was a step in the right direction. This stipulates that 3.5 percent is earmarked for classic defense and 1.5 percent for advanced security aspects.

Problems in Germany and the Bundeswehr

The Bundeswehr, as an important member of NATO, is coming into focus. Lieutenant General Alfons Mais warns that Germany cannot fulfill its NATO commitments. Germany has currently promised NATO a fully equipped division by 2025, but according to Mais, this will only be able to achieve a limited level of operational readiness because there is a lack of necessary material. The full operational readiness of the second division, which is to be made available by 2027, is also assessed as “unrealistic”.

The supply of material to Ukraine and the training of Ukrainian soldiers place an additional burden on the Bundeswehr. With regard to financial resources, Mais is calling for a permanently higher defense budget because the special funds are not sufficient. Estimates say that a total of 300 billion euros will be needed to bring the armed forces to full operational readiness. Colonel André Wüstner, the federal chairman of the DBwV, appeals to politicians to quickly improve the equipment and equipment of the Bundeswehr so ​​that Germany can fulfill its obligations within the framework of NATO.

It remains exciting to see how the discussions and decisions at the upcoming NATO summit will go and whether the desired consensus on the five percent target can really be achieved.