BISMARCK – To further safeguard the military readiness of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), member Heads of State and Governments first agreed in 2014 to commit two percent of their national gross domestic product (GDP) to defense spending. Despite this agreement, NATO has projected only 18 allies to meet this threshold of defense spending in 2024. This means barely half of the alliance’s members will meet the deadline.   

U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) joined U.S. Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) and their colleagues in sending a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, inquiring how the department plans to implement Section 1250 of the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This provision requires the Secretary of Defense to examine whether a member of the NATO “has achieved defense spending of not less than 2 percent of its gross domestic product” when considering matters related to United States military basing, training, and exercises within the alliance.

The letter points out many wealthy NATO members have relied on others within the alliance, particularly the United States, to make necessary investments to achieve collective defense. The senators explained the United States cannot be expected to satisfy its financial obligation if other members of NATO are unwilling or unable to do the same.

“Our government must hold these allies accountable and Section 1250 of the FY24 NDAA is an important step in that direction. […] NATO is not a charity; it’s a military alliance. All NATO members must bear a meaningful share of the burdens of collective defense,” the senators wrote. “We therefore request an update no later than March 18 on how the Department of Defense evaluates U.S. activities as they relate to NATO members’ defense expenditures, in compliance with the requirement in the FY24 NDAA.”

Additional cosigners of the letter include U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Mike Braun (R-IN), Katie Britt (R-AL), Ted Budd (R-NC), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Josh Hawley (R-MO), John Hoeven (R-ND), James Lankford (R-OK), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Rick Scott (R-FL), Tim Scott (R-SC), and Dan Sullivan (R-AK).

Click here for the letter.