The United States urges its allies around the world to increase defense spending to 2% of GDP

WASHINGTON – US Defense Secretary Mark Esper urged allies around the world to increase their defense spending to at least 2 percent of gross domestic product amid threats posed by China, Russia and other players. the Defense Department said Thursday.

The comments were in line with President Donald Trump’s argument that the allies must pay their “fair share.” The president has repeatedly expressed frustration over the failure of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization members to meet the goal of spending 2 percent of their GDP on defense.

“To our allies and partners around the world, please know that we are committed to strengthening our relationships and preserving the rules-based international order,” Esper said in a speech Wednesday at the Rand Corporation, a research organization originally created in 1948. to offer research and analysis for the US military.

“We urge you to increase your defense spending to at least 2 percent of GDP and to make the necessary investments to enhance your capabilities and capabilities, just as we are doing with our armed forces, to achieve our shared goals, is that is, protect our mutual interests, preserve our safety and uphold our common values, “he added, according to a transcript provided by the department.

Japan’s defense budget has increased since fiscal 2013 and has hovered above 5 trillion yen ($ 48 billion) since fiscal 2016 as the country seeks to counter China’s maritime assertiveness and threats from missiles from North Korea. It has also spent nearly 200 billion yen a year on stationing US forces in the country.

But Japan’s defense budget, based on an exclusively defense-oriented stance under the war-renouncing constitution, has long hovered at around 1 percent of the country’s GDP, according to data from the International Research Institute. for the Peace of Stockholm.

In fiscal year 2019, Japan’s defense spending stood at 0.9 percent of its GDP, a rate lower than that of other U.S. allies, such as South Korea’s 2.4 percent, 1.7 percent from Britain and 1.8 percent from France, the latest annual defense report from the Japanese Ministry of Defense shows.

Germany, whose defense spending accounted for about 1.3 percent of its GDP, has been heavily criticized by Trump for being “too slow” in hitting the 2 percent spending target, which NATO members agreed to advance to 2024.

In June this year, Trump said he would withdraw thousands of US troops from Germany, leading to an announcement by the Defense Department the following month about the “repositioning” of 11,900 troops who have been stationed in Germany elsewhere.