The Chair of NATO’s Military Committee, Admiral Giuseppe Cavò Dragone, has confirmed that European allies are responding to U.S. calls for increased defense spending and are progressing towards meeting new alliance objectives.
According to Cavò Dragone, NATO has a clear defense planning mechanism that enables member countries to gradually enhance their military capabilities and aim for a target defense spending level of 5% of GDP.
“We have the NATO defense planning process that provides us with the necessary capabilities, and we will receive them in a timely manner,” Cavò Dragone stated.
He also emphasized that there are no significant military issues in NATO’s relations with the United States. In light of recent incidents involving Russian drones breaching NATO airspace, he urged member nations to avoid overly emotional reactions to such occurrences.
Cavò Dragone’s remarks followed U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s address at the Shangri-La Dialogue forum in Singapore, where he noted that European nations and NATO must make several important decisions, although he did not specify the details.
Admiral Giuseppe Cavò Dragone of NATO has highlighted the alliance's commitment to increasing defense spending in response to U.S. demands. He reassured that NATO's defense planning process is on track, while also addressing recent incidents involving Russian drones in NATO airspace.