US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth declared in Brussels today, ahead of a NATO Defense Ministers’ meeting, that the alliance is committed to meeting its pledge of allocating 5% of GDP to military spending.
Hegseth emphasized that this commitment is a continuation of the work initiated by President Donald Trump, and stressed that the pledge must be fulfilled before the upcoming NATO Summit in The Hague later this month. “We are here to continue the work that President Trump started,” he stated, underlining the necessity for every ally to be ready for potential conflict.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte further added that these new investments would bring European and Canadian spending in line with that of the US, highlighting the critical importance of strengthening the alliance’s defensive capabilities against potential attacks.