World leaders gather for historic NATO summit with plans for massive spending boost

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00:00Changes in the air as the NATO summit opens Tuesday.

00:03According to its Secretary-General, the possibility of an open conflict with Russia in the coming

00:08years requires the Alliance to act, to keep its 1 billion citizens safe.

00:13The defense investment plan that allies will agree in The Hague introduces a new baseline.

00:19Five percent of GDP to be invested in defense. This is a quantum leap that is ambitious,

00:27historic, and fundamental to securing our future.

00:31Specifically, RUTE is calling for a five-fold increase in air defense capabilities,

00:36as well as thousands of additional tanks and armored vehicles.

00:40The 32 member countries will be expected to devote 3.5 percent of their GDP to military

00:45spending in the strict sense, and 1.5 percent to broader security-related spending.

00:50A whopping 150 percent increase from the mandatory annual spend of 2 percent since 2014.

00:56In 2024, the average was 2.7 percent, with some countries well above it,

01:01such as Poland, the Baltic States, and the USA,

01:04while others struggled to reach the threshold.

01:06However, the multi-hundred billion increase raises multiple questions.

01:10But will they be able to translate and operationalize it?

01:13Because there are 17 different types of helicopters.

01:16There are so many different types of infrastructures for the train transport,

01:22etc. So that all needs to be aligned.

01:24The Hague summit is being held in the presence of U.S. President Donald Trump,

01:29marking a victory for the leader, who had been calling for the 5 percent contribution

01:32from the other alliance countries since his first term in office.

01:36Currently, Washington, D.C. finances two-thirds of NATO's budget.

01:40The heads of state will now have to agree on a date for reaching the spending threshold,

01:43which could be anywhere between 2032 and 2035.

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