Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said on Tuesday that Spain will meet NATO's defense spending target this year, as pressure grows on the eurozone's fourth-largest economy and NATO laggard to boost its military expenditure.
Sánchez said the government will raise defense spending by 10.5 billion euros ($12 billion) to reach NATO's 2% of GDP target. The spending would go toward telecommunications, cybersecurity and buying military equipment, he said, as well as raising salaries and adding troops to the armed forces.
Spain, which spent the least of all NATO members last year on defense as a share of GDP, had previously committed to reaching the 2% target by 2029. But it has come under pressure for not spending enough amid a widening chasm in the transatlantic alliance as the Trump administration has said its security priorities lie elsewhere.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly taken European allies to task for not spending enough on their own defense and has pushed NATO allies to raise defense spending to as much as 5% of GDP.
Facing what he called a “changing era," Sánchez said it was it was time for Spain to “take control of our own destiny” and contribute to Europe's rearmament.
“If you asked me years go about my government's investment priorities in security and defense, it's obvious my response would have been different,” Sánchez said. “That's not because our values have changed ... it's because the world has.”
The Socialist leader heads a minority government with hard-left coalition partners that oppose defense and military increases. Sánchez said his plan to boost defense spending would not go through Parliament.
