Just in case you’re interested, NATO releases updated figures for defense spending before each of its annual summit meetings. Here’s the 2018 edition:
As you can see, NATO countries have been increasing their defense expenditures every year since 2014, and this has nothing to do with Donald Trump.
But if Trump wants something to gripe about, it’s worth noting that at the current rate of increase the non-US contingent isn’t going to reach 2 percent of GDP anytime soon. They’ve gone from a miserable 1.40 percent to a miserable 1.47 percent since 2014, and by 2024 they’ll be at a miserable 1.59 percent unless they shake a leg. And I can’t say that I’ve seen much evidence of any leg shaking lately.
