5% for Weapons? Rethinking NATO’s Cost of Militarised Spending Priorities
In 2024, NATO members agreed to a bold new target: 5% of GDP for defence by 2035. That includes 3.5% for core military spending and 1.5% for related infrastructure, cyber defence, and intelligence systems.
It’s a sharp rise from the previous 2% benchmark—and it comes at a time when communities are already under pressure from inflation, austerity, and climate breakdown.
So we have to ask: What are we defending, and who benefits from this version of “security”?
What the Cost of Militarised Numbers Say (2025):
New NATO spending goal: 5% of GDP by 2035
- Breakdown: 3.5% core defence + 1.5% additional (cyber, infrastructure)
- Spain has been granted an exemption—all 31 other members signed on
- Weapons industry stocks have soared since the announcement
(Source: NATO official reports, May–June 2025 Summit coverage)
Explore NATO Further:
- NATO’s 5% Pledge: What It Means – Politico
- Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)
- Transnational Institute: Militarism and Austerity
- Costs of War Project – Brown University
Take Action:
If you believe peace isn’t built by profit margins:
- Speak up about spending priorities in your country
- Share this video with people who think peace equals force
- Join those reimagining what real security looks like
My Reflections
“Spending 5% of national wealth on militarisation—while schools close, hospitals are underfunded, and climate resilience is sidelined—doesn’t feel like safety to me. It feels like a dangerous distraction from the crises that actually threaten our lives.”
#PeaceNotPosture
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