Italy Pushes for 10-Year Deadline on NATO’s Ambitious 5% Defense Target

As NATO leaders prepare to endorse an ambitious new five percent of GDP defense spending target, Italy is advocating for a more extended timeline, pushing for a 10-year deadline to meet the goal. This, coupled with Spain’s secured exclusion and President Donald Trump’s insistence that the US should be exempt, reveals ongoing internal disagreements regarding the pace and universality of the new defense commitments.
The proposed five percent target is bifurcated: 3.5 percent for pure defense spending, a substantial increase from the current two percent minimum, and an additional 1.5 percent for critical infrastructure improvements, cyber defense, and societal preparedness. The 3.5 percent for core defense spending is expected to be a major challenge for many nations, particularly those with economic constraints.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez confirmed Spain’s exemption, indicating that the final NATO communique would no longer mandate the target for “all allies.” This move could set a precedent for other financially constrained members, like Italy itself and Canada, to seek similar concessions. Trump’s persistent calls for allies to increase their contributions, coupled with his labeling of Canada as a “low payer,” further underscore the internal pressures surrounding equitable burden-sharing.
The driving force behind this intensified focus on defense spending is the shared concern among European leaders about Russia’s aggressive actions in Ukraine and its broader implications for regional security. NATO experts have indicated that robust defense against a potential Russian attack requires investments of at least three percent of GDP. While a 2032 deadline has been floated, the debate over its feasibility and the possibility of extending it to 2035 remains active.