Deterrence and defence remain at the core of the Alliance’s essential purpose to preserve peace, security and prosperity for its citizens in a world where threats are increasingly unpredictable. This requires constant adaptation, strengthened readiness and robust defence capabilities.
The Alliance has been responding to a wide range of emerging security challenges, including Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea and its ongoing military build-up and cyber activities. It also addresses the challenge of terrorism, which remains the most serious asymmetric threat to NATO Allies, as well as conflict and fragility in the Alliance’s southern neighbourhood, which affects Alliance security.
At the 2021 Brussels Summit, Allies agreed to strengthen NATO’s deterrence and defence posture through increased spending on defence, modernising capabilities, enhanced political and military responsiveness and higher readiness. They approved regional defence plans to better respond quickly to crises, and established a new NATO Force Model that delivers a larger pool of dedicated combat-capable forces, harnessing regional expertise and geographic proximity. They have also reformed how they plan and activate their forces through the establishment of the Allied Reaction Force, to ensure they can be ready to act at short notice in any domain.
In order to sustain these efforts, Allied Leaders have committed to increasing defence investments, by pledging to spend at least 5% of their GDP on defence by 2035. This includes at least 3.5% for core defence requirements, such as equipment and infrastructure; up to 1.5% on non-core defence-related expenditures, such as civil preparedness, countering hybrid threats and innovation; and a further 2% on defence industrial development and defence production capacity expansion.