Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke with NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg today on the eve of tomorrow's NATO Defense Ministerial. They discussed the positive outcomes related to today's virtual Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) meeting, the critical role NATO plays in ensuring Transatlantic security, and reviewed priorities for the Ministerial and upcoming NATO Summit in Washington.
Secretary Austin reiterated the United States' full support for the NATO Alliance and noted the importance of strengthening our collective deterrence and defense, including through investments to Allied defense industrial bases.
While acknowledging more work remains, Secretary Austin applauded today's announcement by Secretary General Stoltenberg that in 2024, NATO's European Allies will invest a collective total of $380 billion in defense. For the first time, this amounts to 2% of their combined gross domestic product. This follows an unprecedented increase in 2023, which saw a rise of 11% in defense spending across Allies.
Secretary Austin and Secretary General Stoltenberg discussed Allies' commitment to provide the full resources necessary to deter and defend against any threat and highlighted the importance of increasing transatlantic defense production. Secretary General Stoltenberg noted that in the past year, NATO has facilitated contracts worth around $10 billion to replenish Allied stocks of munitions and equipment.
Both leaders underscored NATO's importance on the global stage and its preeminence as the gold standard of Alliances – the most successful in history – and despite disagreements - Allies have always been able to unite around our core task: to defend each other and keep our people safe.
Both agreed that America's Allies are a powerful force multiplier and when NATO speaks as one, our adversaries listen.
Secretary Austin and Secretary General Stoltenberg reaffirmed their commitment to advancing NATO's work at tomorrow's Defense Ministerial in Brussels and to continued Allied unity on the road to NATO's 75th Anniversary Summit in Washington, DC this July.
