September 20, 2023

Manchin, Kennedy Introduce Bipartisan Resolution Urging NATO Allies to Meet Defense Spending Pledge

Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and John Kennedy (R-LA) introduced a resolution urging all member nations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to apply a minimum of 2% of their gross domestic product (GDP) towards defense spending.

“To effectively confront the vast range of security risks we face—including those from Russia and China, as well as global cyberattacks—our NATO allies must fully meet their defense spending commitments. Peace and stability do not come without a price and that’s why I am proud to introduce this resolution urging NATO members to honor their commitments. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this resolution to ensure every NATO state is shouldering the responsibilities of this defense alliance,” said Senator Manchin. 

“Friends tell friends the truth: By not meeting their own pledge to spend 2% of GDP on defense, our NATO allies are opening the door to further political instability. Every member of NATO must do its part, just as many countries are already doing, to deter bad actors like Russia from advancing their goals,” said Senator Kennedy. 

In 2006, member countries of NATO first agreed to spend 2% of GDP on defense. In 2014, at the NATO Summit in Wales, all member countries once again committed to maintain or move toward meeting the 2% defense spending minimum within 10 years. As of 2022, only 11 member countries were meeting the 2% minimum, including the U.S. and the United Kingdom. Many member countries issued statements pledging to meet the 2% minimum following the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, yet many member countries are projected to not reach the minimum until as late as 2035.

The resolution also commends member countries including Greece, the United Kingdom, Finland, Poland, Estonia, Lithuania, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia for taking strides to either meet or exceed the spending commitment.

The resolution is available here.