Germany’s defense budget in 2024 is the largest in 3 decades
For the first time in three decades, Germany has informed NATO that its planned defense spending will amount to at least 2% of GDP.
According to research by the German News Agency (DPA), the German government has allocated $73.41 billion for defense spending during the current year.
This is a record number for Germany, and represents 2.01% of GDP, according to current NATO forecasts.
In the past, according to documents from the NATO archives, the last time Germany spent 2% of GDP on defense was in 1992.
During the Cold War years, the percentage was usually more than 3%; The development of defense spending by NATO countries is scheduled to be discussed during the meeting of defense ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday and Thursday, and it’s expected that about 20 of the 31 NATO countries will reach the 2% target this year.
Defense ministers from NATO countries are meeting in Brussels to discuss their support for the Ukrainian war effort as well.
A meeting of the international contact group to coordinate arms aid to Ukraine, which is not affiliated with NATO itself, on Wednesday, and a meeting of NATO defense ministers will be held on Thursday.
The discussions at NATO headquarters in Brussels were dominated by statements by former US President Donald Trump, who told his supporters at an election rally last Saturday that he would encourage Russia to do anything they want to NATO countries that don’t spend enough on defense.
Since 2006, NATO member states have agreed to spend 2% of their gross domestic product on defense, but only a few countries have been able to achieve this goal.
After Russia expanded its invasion of Crimea and Donbas to include the rest of Ukrainian territory in February 2022, NATO member states, most notably Germany, reaffirmed their commitments.
The German Bundestag approved the 2024 budget, which allows 2% of GDP to be allocated to defense.
NATO discussions are aim to push more NATO member states to fulfill their obligations.
Among the issues on the agenda is Sweden’s accession to NATO, which is hampered by the Hungarian Parliament’s failure to ratify the decision, despite promises from Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government that Hungary won’t be the last European Union member state to ratify Sweden’s accession to the alliance.
