So I guess 2016 claimed its biggest victim yet - America

[Ginger_Yellow]

@Timex

This has created the impression, which is largely correct, that NATO states are shifting military expenditure onto the US. While Trump’s views on this are nonsensical, and demonstrate that he doesn’t really understand how NATO works (i.e. Member states don’t PAY money to NATO, or to the US), the fact is that the treaty has certain requirements to be a member, and most member states are failing to meet those requirements.

In terms of actual treaty commitments, they are not. The 2% figure is not part of the treaty, it’s a long-term commitment under the Riga summit declaration of 2006, reinforced with a 10 year target in 2014. The only current commitments arefor those with spending over 2% now to not let it fall below 2%, and for those below 2% with declining spending to halt the decline. And even those are not technically treaty obligations, but political guidelines.