US demands NATO allies to show plans for defence spending increase
- 6.4.2017 16:03
- Western Europe , Americas , Commentaries , Defence ,
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson stressed on 31 March that NATO countries have to reach the pledged 2 % GDP defence budget, or at least present detailed proposals on how they plan to meet the target, until the end of 2017. The initial drafts of these proposals should be presented before the end of May.
However, this deadline could bring more problems than benefits due to the complexity of defence decision-making and planning process in general. Also, the issue of how specifically the financial assets should be spent is crucial, as the hurried planning and acquisition process can negatively influence the armed forces' operational capabilities. On the other side, focusing more on the EU’s defence cooperation through the European Defence Agency (EDA) or Permanent structured cooperation (PESCO) could help the member states harmonize their efforts and effectively plan and build their defence capabilities to meet US demands. These tools, if set and used correctly, can save money through pooling and sharing of technology and can also contribute to better interoperability of armed forces for both NATO and EU.
