NATO Defence Spending: The Irrationality of 2%

The European Leadership Network (ELN) works to advance the idea of a cooperative and cohesive Europe and to develop collaborative European capacity to address the pressing foreign, defence and security policy challenges of our time.

It does this through its active network of former and emerging European political, military, and diplomatic leaders, through its high-quality research, publications and events, and through its institutional partnerships across Europe, North America, Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region.

The ELN conceives of Europe in its widest sense, to include not only the EU but Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, and the rest of our diverse continent. It is unique in its high-level political reach and in its ability to effectively network the political, diplomatic and security elites of all countries across this region and parts of Central Asia.

It focuses on arms control and political/military issues, including both conventional and nuclear disarmament challenges inside Europe, and has a particular interest in policy challenges arising in both the eastern and southern peripheries of the continent.

The ELN also works to advance economic, political, energy, people to people and sub-regional cooperation within Greater Europe and to build cooperative European solutions to today’s global challenges, be they related to Russia-West relations, nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, or the challenge and opportunity of the rising powers.

It is a non-partisan, non-profit organisation based in London and registered in the United Kingdom.In this ELN Issue Brief Nicholas Williams and Simon Lunn argue that elevating the 2% to a test of defence fidelity and solidarity is ultimately counter-productive.

They present the history of NATO spending targets, critique their arbitrary nature and call instead for a renewed focus on the capabilities each member contributes to the Alliance rather than on budget numbers.

The authors argue that increased spending by NATO's European members provides an opportunity for Europe to develop a degree of strategic autonomy within NATO.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: Sharing the burden of keeping Europe whole, free and at peace (NATO Review, May 2017) http://www.europeansources.info/record/sharing-the-burden-of-keeping-europe-whole-free-and-at-peace/

---