Anonymous1 day ago
Since NATO allies pledged to spend 2% of GDP on defense in 2014, collective underspending reached $827 billion before all 32 members finally hit the target in 2025. Yet the spending gap tells only part of the story — the United States still provides 62% of NATO's total defense budget and irreplaceable capabilities in nuclear deterrence, strategic airlift, and intelligence that European allies could not replicate for decades, even as those allies bear significant costs through host-nation support, sanctions enforcement, and Ukraine aid that complicate the "free-rider" narrative.