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<blockquote data-quote="tonyexpress" data-source="post: 3614051" data-attributes="member: 1940"><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/only-us-and-estonia-meeting-nato-budget-goal-2015-2" target="_blank">Only the US and Estonia are meeting NATO&#039;s defense budget goals</a>&quot;Germany would have to increase its military budget from roughly <a href="http://www.sipri.org/research/armaments/milex/milex_database" target="_blank">€37 billion</a> ($42 billion) to over <a href="http://data.worldbank.org/country/germany" target="_blank">€74 billion</a> ($84 billion) to meet the target,&quot; Anthony writes.Military spending by NATO membersDoes America contribute more than its fair share?<img src="https://cdn.static-economist.com/sites/default/files/20170225_WOC985_0.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />The United States has a point in noting that its commitment is disproportionately large. Last year it spent 3.6% of its GDP on defense, the highest ratio of any NATO member (and the highest total military budget in the world by a hefty margin). That is almost double the target of 2% of GDP that NATO members all agreed to in 2006. At the time six members reached the threshold; last year five did.Such gripes are hardly new. Since the 1970s numerous American presidents have complained about military “free-riding” by the country′s European allies.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="tonyexpress, post: 3614051, member: 1940"] [URL='http://www.businessinsider.com/only-us-and-estonia-meeting-nato-budget-goal-2015-2'][SIZE=4][B]Only the US and Estonia are meeting NATO's defense budget goals[/B][/SIZE][/URL] "Germany would have to increase its military budget from roughly [URL='http://www.sipri.org/research/armaments/milex/milex_database']€37 billion[/URL] ($42 billion) to over [URL='http://data.worldbank.org/country/germany']€74 billion[/URL] ($84 billion) to meet the target," Anthony writes. [SIZE=4][B]Military spending by NATO members[/B][/SIZE] Does America contribute more than its fair share? [IMG]https://cdn.static-economist.com/sites/default/files/20170225_WOC985_0.png[/IMG] The United States has a point in noting that its commitment is disproportionately large. Last year it spent 3.6% of its GDP on defense, the highest ratio of any NATO member (and the highest total military budget in the world by a hefty margin). That is almost double the target of 2% of GDP that NATO members all agreed to in 2006. At the time six members reached the threshold; last year five did. Such gripes are hardly new. Since the 1970s numerous American presidents have complained about military “free-riding” by the country′s European allies. [/QUOTE]

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