Tillerson tells NATO: Hike defense spending

The U.S. secretary of state gave allies two months to boost their budgets or have plans to do so by the time Trump visits in late May.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned NATO allies Friday to boost defense spending or come up with plans to reach the alliance’s budget guidelines within two months.

Tillerson, in his first talks with NATO counterparts in Brussels, said Washington is spending a “disproportionate share” on defense compared with its 27 partners, and that he expects action by the time President Donald Trump meets with other alliance leaders May 25.

NATO leaders pledged in 2014 to halt defense spending cuts and move toward a guideline target of 2 percent of gross domestic product within a decade. Aside from the United States, only four currently meet the target: Britain, Estonia, Greece and Poland.

“Our goal should be to agree at the May leaders meeting that by the end of the year all allies will have either met the pledge guidelines or will have developed plans that clearly articulate how, with annual milestone progress commitments, the pledge will be fulfilled,” Tillerson told the ministers.

Tillerson did not say what would happen if European allies and Canada fail to comply. During election campaigning, Trump suggested that he might not come to the defense of those allies who do not do their fair share, rocking allies such as Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland that share borders with an increasingly aggres- sive Russia.

However, Tillerson sought to calm any fears, saying Friday that “we understand that a threat against one of us is a threat against all of us, and we will respond accordingly.”

The United States is by far NATO’s most powerful member. It spends more on defense than all the others combined; 3.61 percent of GDP in 2016.

Germany spent 1.19 per- cent of its overall budget on defense last year. But German Foreign Minister Sig- mar Gabriel said it would be “unrealistic” for his country to hike spending from the current $37 billion a year to almost $75 billion — more than Russia now spends.

“I don’t know a politician in Germany who believes that this would be achievable or even desirable,” Gabriel said.

Seven other countries — including Canada, Italy and Spain — would also have to virtually double their spending to reach the target.