NATO said all 32 of its members are on course this year to spend at least 2% of gross domestic product on defence, the first time every ally has met the benchmark adopted in 2014. The milestone follows successive budget increases after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine and renewed pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump for Europeans to shoulder a larger share of the military burden. Only Poland, Lithuania and Latvia already exceed the alliance’s new intermediate target of allocating 3.5% of GDP to core military budgets by 2035—spending 4.48%, 4.00% and 3.73% respectively, according to NATO’s latest estimates. Most other members remain just above the 2% floor, highlighting the scale of the additional effort required to hit longer-term commitments, which also envisage total security-related outlays reaching 5% of GDP. Combined defence expenditure by the alliance is projected to top $1.5 trillion in 2025, with the United States accounting for about $980 billion and the remaining allies roughly $608 billion, NATO figures show. The spending surge means outlays by non-U.S. members will set a record, yet Washington will still finance more than three-fifths of the bloc’s military budget. Speaking at the opening of an ammunition plant in Germany, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte welcomed the higher spending but cautioned that “cash alone doesn’t provide security,” urging governments to convert budgets into deployable capabilities. Several lagging countries, including Spain—which lifted defence funding 46% to reach the 2% threshold—have acknowledged that meeting the steeper 3.5% and 5% goals will demand sustained political and fiscal commitment.