NATO Needs to Step Up: National Security Policy Misalignment
Leaders of NATO countries and the EU, courtesy of the U.S. Mission to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
NATO members have never paid their share of Europe’s defense. President Trump demanded they pay, and the Ukraine war scared them into doing so, but they still depend on the US.
The Ukraine war is a prime example: Ukraine is in Europe, yet the US is funding its defense to prevent a broader threat to other European countries. With a GDP of around $16 trillion, the EU can afford to pay. Meanwhile, US defense resources are spread across multiple theaters. NATO’s 31 member countries have 3.5 million soldiers and a significant number of tanks,
