Trump advisers push even higher target for Nato defence spending
- The 3% of GDP figure – just an idea for now, and not yet formal policy – could signal more tension with allies if Trump wins the US election
Advisers for Donald Trump have floated the idea of demanding Nato allies spend 3 per cent of gross domestic product on defence, a higher target than alliance members have agreed to and a warning shot that signals even more tension if he returns to the White House.
The idea of calling on Nato members to spend so much more than the current 2 per cent goal – one that many allies have only recently met – came up in discussions at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last week, according to people familiar with the conversations who asked not to be named because the issue is not public.
These people said the elevated target is just an idea for now and has not yet risen to formal policy for the Trump team. Trump has long complained that the allies do not spend enough on their militaries, attacking members for falling short of a 2014 commitment to commit 2 per cent of GDP to defence.
The higher target mooted by Trump’s advisers would require hundreds of billions of dollars in new spending from allies already struggling to control government debt. Only three Nato nations – Poland, the US and Greece – spent 3 per cent or more of their GDP on defence last year, according to Nato.
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One person familiar with Trump’s position described the latest figure as a negotiating tactic meant to pressure allies not to get complacent as they boost defence spending. At a Nato summit in 2018, Trump suggested allies spend even more than that – 4 per cent of GDP – on defence, a target even the US does not currently meet.
