The Baltic nations lead European NATO countries in exceeding the alliance’s target of dedicating 2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) to defense spending, but that may not be enough if former President Donald Trump is re-elected in November, a former administration official said.
“The United States has an obligation to do its part to help any NATO country that comes under attack. That’s not the same as saying we should send in all our military forces. [to the eastern flank]Elbridge Colby, a former assistant secretary of defense in the Trump administration, He told Politico.
Poland currently plans to spend just over 4% of its GDP on defense in 2024, topping all countries, followed by Estonia with 3.43%, the United States with 3.38%, Latvia with 3.15%, Greece with 3.08% and Lithuania with 2.85%.
But Colby, who is expected to be nominated for another key role if Trump is re-elected, said eastern European countries would have to spend much more than 2 percent of their GDP to counter Russia.
“I don’t think it’s that impressive that Lithuania is spending 3 percent. Estonia is spending 3 percent. If I were them, I’d spend 10 percent if they were serious about the Russian threat,” he said. “I think what European countries need to understand is they need to build up their militaries as quickly as possible.”
Meanwhile, defense officials in the Baltic states on Tuesday agreed to some extent with Colby’s sentiments.
“We are very clear that 2 percent is not enough,” Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkuru said at a Politico event on defense against Russia and the war in Ukraine.
“We need more investment to increase capacity. We need to raise it to 2.5 percent, maybe even 3 percent.”
Lithuanian Defense Minister Laurinas Kasciunas said the Baltic state was looking at ways to strengthen its armed forces by procuring weapons and equipment from the U.S. defense industry.
Trump’s reelection “may be a reality, and we have to keep that in mind,” he said.
NATO says two-thirds of allies are expected to meet or exceed their goal of investing at least 2 percent of GDP on defense in 2024, a big jump from 2014, when only three countries met the target.
In 2024, NATO’s European allies are projected to invest a combined total of more than $380 billion in defense.
But President Trump has frequently criticised NATO as outdated and has threatened to withdraw the US from it, raising concerns that he could effectively dismantle the 75-year-old alliance.
Officials from NATO’s 32 member nations gathered in Washington DC this week to discuss the future of the alliance, with a possible US presidential transition in mind.
“There is no need to be afraid of America or the United States having a new president. [if] “The Biden administration will continue,” Pebkur said. “As Europeans, we must remember that we are all members of a club and that we have to work with any administration.”
