On Thursday 3 April, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that his country would remain in the Atlantic Alliance, a statement that should reassure its allies, some of whom are concerned about the United States’ long-term commitment to the Alliance.
“We are going to remain in NATO”, he promised on his arrival at NATO headquarters, explaining that his country was more active than ever within the Alliance.
Spend 5% of GDP on defence. The Secretary of State explained that the United States wanted a “stronger and more viable” NATO, which means that the Allies must acquire more capabilities and therefore spend more. “This is a collection of advanced economies, of rich countries who have the capability to do more”, he stressed.
“We do want to leave here with an understanding that we are on a realistic pathway, to every single one of the members committing and fulfilling a promise to reach up to 5% in spending. This includes the United States, which will have to increase its percentage”, said Mr Rubio. The United States was at 3.4% in 2024.
The American representative made it clear that his President was not against NATO, but against “a NATO that does not have the capability that it needs to fulfil the obligations that the treaty imposes upon each and every Member State”. “No one expects that you’re going to be able to do this in one year or two, but the pathway has to be real”, he warned. 23 Allies have now achieved defence spending representing 2% of their GDP, the target set in 2014 for 2024.
Increasing defence spending will require choices to be made, Mr Rubio acknowledged, pointing out that his country had made choices and prioritised defence. In his view, “the events of the last few years – a full-scale ground war in the heart of Europe – is a reminder that hard power is still necessary as a deterrent”. And he added: “If the threats truly are as dire as I believe they are and the members of this Alliance believe they are, then that threat has to be confronted by a full and real commitment to have the capability to confront them”.
For his part, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte reiterated that “the United States is a staunch ally in NATO”. He pointed out that this American commitment came with the expectation that the Europeans and Canadians would spend more. “This is already the case”, Mr Rutte stressed, pointing out that since Donald Trump’s first term in office, the Europeans and Canadians had spent an additional $700 billion on defence. “We still need to do more”, he admitted.
Asked earlier in the day about the 5%, the Secretary General pointed out that the Allies were working on the NATO defence planning process, hoping to reach conclusions in May or June. “We will then assess, in the light of these gaps (to achieve the objectives and close the gaps), what more we need to do”, he added, warning that this would require defence spending “in excess of 3%” of GDP.
The new spending target should be set at the summit in The Hague at the end of June. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)