NATO requests that the Netherlands spend an extra 16 to 19 billion euros on its defense

NATO is asking the Netherlands to spend at least 16 to 19 billion euros extra on the country’s defense. This would mean that the Netherlands is spending 3.5 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) on the defense department. Ruben Brekelmans, the Minister of Defense, confirmed this to parliament. The alliance feels that a significant increase is necessary to maintain the defense of NATO. It is up to the Cabinet to decide how to handle the request.

NATO’s military planners have made calculations on what is needed to keep the alliance safe in the future, in the case of, for example, the increasing threat from Russia. Every NATO country has to contribute to the defense, and the alliance is advising member states on how strong their armed forces must be to do so.

Defense has been a lower priority for many countries over the years. A lot of countries have downsized and neglected their defense for decades.

NATO chief Mark Rutte has been pleading for the NATO requirements for defense spending to be raised for a while. The target has been 2 percent of a nation’s GDP for the last 11 years. The Netherlands has only begun meeting this target recently.

Rutte plans to announce his plans to raise this target to 3.5 percent at the upcoming NATO Summit in The Hague. Another 1.5 percent is added to this for expenditure related to defense, like infrastructure.

Together, that makes 5 percent, which is the same as the demand that United States President Donald Trump made to NATO. According to the president, this is needed; otherwise, the U.S. may not be able to defend the other countries within NATO.

According to the alliance, the countries within NATO need to make the most of their investments in air defense, artillery, and supporting items like large transport planes. They can take a few years to make these investments, although that time is shorter than before, with Russia at war.

The Netherlands will spend around 22 billion euros on its defense department this year, but this would have to be raised to 40 billion euros within a few years. This is also due to the country having a catch-up.

Incidentally, there are also defense expenses that do not count towards the goal. If the Netherlands were to spend 3.5 percent, it would have to protect the Antilles on top of that, for example, and help allies if they want to use the Vlissingen harbor.

An extra 17,000 to 18,000 staff members are needed to meet the demands. The tight labor market makes this difficult to achieve.

The governing parties have been split about the significant increase in expenditure. The PVV and BBB are not in favor. But the VVD feels that the Netherlands, especially as the host of the next NATO Summit, cannot be seen lagging. The NSC also agrees with the VVD on this subject.