The US’s junior partners in NATO should ramp up defense spending to 5% of GDP, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a new interview. He said NATO could only “remain credible” if its members “fulfil their responsibilities.”
“NATO is only as strong as the commitments of its members,” Rubio told The Free Press in an interview.
“If the US is carrying the lion’s share, with European nations as mere junior partners, that’s not a true alliance—it’s a dependency.”
At present, under the terms of a 2014 agreement among members, NATO countries are supposed to spend 2% of GDP on defense, but many fail to do that.
“The US is pulling more than its fair weight,” Rubio said.
“For NATO to remain credible, its members must fulfil their responsibilities. If this is to be a real alliance, it must be a mutual commitment—not just one where the US covers the bill.”
Rubio went on to suggest that 5% of GDP would be a more sensible and fair contribution from other NATO members.
The Secretary of State’s comments have been echoed by the President, who was sharply critical of NATO during his first term, and by other members of the new Trump administration, including National Security Advisor Mike Waltz. Waltz recently said, “Europe’s security cannot remain a one-way street.” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also made similar comments recently at the Army War College in Pennsylvania.
The next NATO summit is scheduled for June, at the Hague, in the Netherlands. The future of the alliance, and the US role in it, are likely to figure heavily. There are also major protests planned, because President Trump is due to attend.