Rubio Confident NATO Will Pledge Big Increase to Defense Spending Ahead of Summit

Non-U.S. NATO members would collectively account for more than half of the alliance’s total spending under the new goal.

NATO military forces during static display after “Exercise Steadfast Dart 2025” at the Smardan Training Area, in Smardan, Romania, on Feb. 19, 2025. Daniel Mihailescu/AFP via Getty Images

All NATO member states will commit to a new long-term goal of spending 5 percent of their GDP on national defense ahead of the military alliance’s upcoming summit, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

In an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News on Thursday, Rubio said it would be a “historic” shift of balance for the alliance if the new goal is met.