NATO plans to ask European allies and Canada to increase their stockpiles of weapons and military equipment - Bloomberg
NATO plans to appeal to European allies and Canada to increase its stockpile of weapons and military equipment by about 30% in the next few years.
According to Censor.NET, Bloomberg reports this with reference to a senior NATO official and informed interlocutors.
According to the agency, new targets for the military capabilities of NATO member states are currently being discussed, which should update those set before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with a view to adopting them by early June, when the alliance's defense ministers will meet in Brussels.
The interlocutors said that reaching these new levels would require significant financial outlays from most European allies and Canada, while U.S. spending would not require changes.
According to one official, the new targets would require a 30% increase in equipment across all sectors, with some specific categories increasing much more or less than others.
The NATO official noted that these new goals, which will take five to 15 years to achieve, will make European and Canadian forces in NATO much stronger and less dependent on the United States.
It is worth noting that US President Donald Trump has repeatedly accused NATO members of taking advantage of Washington by not spending enough on defense.
He has said that the United States will move away from its traditional role as a guarantor of security in Europe and has demanded that allies spend 5%, a goal that many consider unrealistic.
Allies now expect the United States to reduce its military presence in Europe as its priorities shift to the Indo-Pacific region.
