Brekelmans: NATO objectives ask the Netherlands at 16 to 19 billion extra per year

To meet NATO’s expectations, the Netherlands must spend approximately 3.5 percent of the gross domestic product on Defense. Minister of Defense Ruben Brekelmans announced this on Tuesday in one letter to the Lower House. It is an annual increase of 16 to 19 billion euros, according to the passing on of the new « capacity objectives » that the Netherlands has been assigned from the military alliance.

In 2025, the Netherlands spent 22 billion on Defense, about 2 percent of GDP. According to the capacity objectives, the Netherlands should therefore almost double the defense budget. But Brekelmans emphasizes that it is « always up to the cabinet and the Chamber to decide how much budget is spent on the Ministry of Defense ».

However, the passing on in the letter from Brekelmans does not yet take into account two other assignments that NATO has from NATO. The Netherlands is also responsible for implementing military equipment; Host Nation Supportin NATO jargon. And for ‘protecting one’s own territory against various threats’, the so -called Home Land Defense.

The 3.5 percent of GDP that appears from the calculation in Brekelmans’ letter is not a replacement for the current NATO standard of 2 percent. « The figures in this letter of Parliament can be used as input for a discussion about a new dip, » writes Brekelmans. With that he refers to the Defense Investment Pledgea promise in the field of expenditure on Defense that will be the subject of discussion during the NATO summit that takes place in The Hague at the end of June.

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