A U.S. Secretary of State stated Thursday that NATO members, including the U.S., need a “realistic pathway” to reach the 5% defense spending target.

Speaking at an event in Brussels, Rubio acknowledged the difficulty for nations with extensive social safety nets to divert funds to national security. However, he emphasized the necessity of “hard power” as a deterrent, citing the ongoing war in Europe.

Rubio stressed the need for a clear plan for all members to meet the 5% spending goal, including the United States.

While most of the 32 NATO members currently meet the 2% GDP spending commitment, eight countries – Croatia, Portugal, Italy, Canada, Belgium, Luxembourg, Slovenia and Spain – are still not compliant.

Only one nation spends over 4% of its GDP on defense, while four others – Estonia, the U.S., Latvia and Greece – exceed 3%.

Despite the substantial spending increases required, Rubio’s proposal is expected to be met with support, as NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and other allies have been advocating for increased defense budgets.

In 2024, the U.S. spent 3.38% of its GDP on defense, totaling over $967 billion, according to NATO data released in July.

With a 2024 GDP exceeding $29.7 billion, the U.S. is projected to spend $1 trillion on defense in 2025 if it maintains its current expenditure rate of 3.38%.

Rubio did not specify a timeline for nations to reach the 5% target. If the U.S. were to meet it in 2025, it would require allocating nearly $1.49 trillion to defense – exceeding the total spending of the entire NATO alliance in 2024.

Rubio asserted that the U.S. is currently highly active within NATO and dismissed concerns in the media regarding the U.S.’s commitment to the alliance as “unwarranted hysteria and hyperbole.”

He reaffirmed that the U.S. president supports NATO and intends to remain a member.

Rubio argued that the only way to deter aggressor nations like Russia and China is for all NATO members to enhance their contributions to the alliance’s collective defense capabilities.

Rubio acknowledged the trade-offs involved, stating that while the U.S. also has domestic needs, it has prioritized defense due to its global role and expects its partners to do the same.

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