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Trump wants NATO members to increase defense spending to 5 percent of GDP: FT

Published: 21 Dec. 2024, 11:35 Updated: 21 Dec. 2024, 12:12

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with House Republicans in Washington on Nov. 13. [AP/YONHAP]

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's team has told European officials that he will demand that NATO member states raise their defense spending to 5 percent of GDP, the Financial Times reported Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Trump's closest foreign policy aides shared his intentions in discussions with senior European officials this month, the newspaper said, amid expectations that he could call on South Korea and other allies to increase their defense spending and take greater responsibilities for their security.

Currently, NATO has a guideline calling for its member states to commit 2 percent of their GDP to defense spending. The guideline was agreed upon by leaders of the NATO members in 2014.

Seoul and other U.S. allies have been bracing for the possibility that when he returns to office next month, Trump could curtail costly U.S. military involvement overseas and call for allies to do more to address shared challenges.

Some observers have said that Trump could call for the renegotiation of the U.S. defense cost-sharing deal with South Korea, called the Special Measures Agreement (SMA).

In October, Seoul and Washington struck the 12th SMA to determine South Korea's share of the cost of stationing the 28,500-strong U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) on its territory. Under the deal, which will last through 2030, Seoul has agreed to pay 1.52 trillion won ($1.04 billion) in 2026, up from 1.4 trillion won in 2025.

After the conclusion of SMA negotiations, Trump said in a campaign speech that South Korea would be paying $10 billion annually to keep USFK troops if he was in the White House. He also described South Korea as a "money machine."

Yonhap