NATO Spending to Exceed Hundreds of Billions for Defense

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced that NATO will spend hundreds of billions of dollars on defense in the coming years, as members commit to raising defense spending from 2% to 5% of GDP by 2035. Rutte noted that many of the 32 members are expediting their commitments, projecting substantial increases in defense budgets. Notably, Poland spent an estimated 4.48% of its GDP on defense in 2025, making it NATO's largest defense spender as a percentage of GDP. In comparison, the U.S. spent approximately $845 billion on defense last year, far exceeding the combined $559 billion spent by other NATO countries.