Despite commitments made in 2014 for NATO members to spend at least 2% of GDP on defense, only 23 of 32 have met this standard. The urgency surrounding military spending was reignited by the Trump administration's rhetoric and negotiations with Russia, leading to an emergency summit called by French President Emmanuel Macron. Historical warnings about NATO's relevance persist, with former Defense Secretary Robert Gates emphasizing the diminishing support from the US for countries that fail to invest adequately in their defense capabilities.
"There will be dwindling appetite and patience in the US Congress - and in the American body politic writ large - to expend increasingly precious funds on behalf of nations that are apparently unwilling to devote the necessary resources or make the necessary changes to be serious and capable partners in their own defense."
"Europe is beginning to get the memo - or, more precisely, beginning to read a memo that it's been sent repeatedly for years and buried somewhere under piles of documents celebrating its own so-called soft power."
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