NATO floats cybersecurity to be included in new spending target
NATO
proposed including expenditures on
cybersecurity
and activities related to
border and coastal security
to qualify for the
military alliance
's new defense-related spending target of 1.5% of GDP.
NATO started negotiations with countries on what will be allowed under its new spending target that it plans to adopt at a June summit, according to a document shared with member countries and people familiar with the matter. The total spending target will be 5% of GDP, with 3.5% on
hard defense expenditures
and 1.5% on defense-related outlays.
Other expenditures that may qualify for the 1.5% portion will be protecting critical infrastructure spending, non-defense intelligence agencies and space-related activities, according to the document.
A broader definition of what qualifies as a defense-related outlay would make it easier for countries to meet the target, with some nations lobbying to have expenditures such as counter-terrorism to be included. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said this week that he expected alliance members to approve the new 5% target.
A spokesperson from the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Talks are expected to continue in NATO's policy and planning committee Wednesday, according to the document. The proposal is subject to change and will form the basis for discussion among alliance members, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Infrastructure expenditures, particularly for the purpose of military mobility, will likely be included, according to the document. Those outlays will have to contribute to the military alliances defense plans or enable the use of the core-defense spending activities.
Southern NATO countries are pushing for counter-terrorism related spending to be included, some of the people said. The inclusion of dual-use goods other than infrastructure will also have to be agreed on, said people, who stressed an agreement will need to be found before the summit.
Kyiv is pushing for
Ukraine aid
to count toward this spending, according to a person familiar with the matter. This would allow the country to make up for the fact that NATO isn't currently discussing the renewal of last year's €40 billion ($45.3 billion) pledge for Ukraine.
US President
Donald Trump
first demanded allies spend 5% earlier this year after threatening to pull out of the alliance or to only protect the allies that spent enough on defense. The figure was widely regarded as unrealistic when he first mentioned it, but European allies and Canada have come around to the understanding that their spending had to drastically increase.
Only 23 out of 32 allies reached the current spending target of 2%, according to NATO's annual report published in April. But all of them are expected to meet it by the summer, Bloomberg reported earlier.
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