More than half of NATO members will reach a goal of spending 2 percent of gross domestic product on defense by 2025, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday in Brussels.Is anyone surprised the 5 nations listed as having met the 2% goal since 2014 all were part of either the USSR or the Warsaw Pact? They understand too well the Russian bear, having experienced his unfriendly attentions in the not-distant past.
Stoltenberg said 15 of the 29 NATO allies are projected to pay their goal as determined at NATO's 2014 summit in Wales and urged last year by President Donald Trump.
In 2014, the United States, Greece and Britain were the only three allies spending 2 percent or more on defense.
"This year, we expect eight allies to meet the target," Stoltenberg said. "And by 2024, we expect at least 15 allies will spend 2 percent of GDP or more on defense.”
The additional countries since 2014 are Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Romania and Lithuania.
President Trump can take credit for chivvying NATO members into meeting their treaty obligations, something President Obama never imagined doing.
