BRUSSELS – Donald Trump is no longer around as president to berate U.S. allies in Europe and Canada for failing to spend enough on their defense budgets.
But the debate about military spending appears likely to continue to rage at NATO, even under President Joe Biden. So, in an effort to improve “burden sharing” — the way the 30 member countries contribute cash, military hardware and troops to operations run by the world’s biggest security organization — Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is proposing that allies jointly fund more of NATO’s work.
Stoltenberg said he will urge defense ministers, at a two-day videoconference starting Wednesday, “to increase NATO’s funding for our core deterrence and defense activities.” The plan would mean