The United States and our NATO allies account for $1 trillion of that. What are we talking about here? The world as a whole, every year, spends about $1.7 trillion on military weapons and forces. ![]() Republicans and Democrats have both harped on it, because it’s kind of an easy way for them to show that they’re tough, that they’re strong.īut let’s put this in perspective. So, burden sharing with NATO countries has been an issue in this town for decades. And spending on military is just one small part of national security, but this has become the test of whether a country is carrying its fair burden. We’ve all come to accept that national security equals military forces and weapons, when, in fact, as you point out, a national security is more often determined by the health and welfare of its citizenry, the system of justice, whether citizens feel that they’re engaged in the country and have a role in the governance of that country. You know, we’re cursed in this discussion by a very narrow definition of national security. What is the significance of this, when you look at these countries’ budgets and you see how much is being poured into weapons versus education, healthcare-what some might say are the true markers of national security in a country? First he said 2% of their GDP, and now he’s pushing for 4%. If you can start off by talking about-so, President Trump has been pushing NATO countries to spend more and more on military weapons. These are the issues we want to discuss right now, Joe. This comes as Acting Pentagon Chief Patrick Shanahan is under investigation for improperly advocating on behalf of Boeing, where he worked for more than 30 years.įor more, we’re continuing our conversation with Joe Cirincione, president of Ploughshares Fund, a global security foundation, author of Nuclear Nightmares: Securing the World Before It Is Too Late and Bomb Scare: The History and Future of Nuclear Weapons. ![]() I think probably it should be higher.ĪMY GOODMAN: The push for more military spending could benefit, of course, weapons manufacturers like, oh, Boeing, the number two weapons manufacturer-number one, Lockheed Martin. And at some point, I think it’s going to have to go higher than that. But we’re looking at the 2% of GDP level. ![]() And some of them have no problems, because they haven’t been paying and they’re very rich. We have seven of the 28 countries are currently current, and the rest are trying to catch up, and they will catch up. And as you know, when I came, it wasn’t so good, and now it’s-they’re catching up. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: We have worked together on getting some of our allies to pay their fair share. During an Oval Office meeting Tuesday with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, President Trump demanded Germany and other NATO countries increase military spending from 2 to 4% of GDP. I’m Amy Goodman, as we bring you Part 2 of our discussion of the 70th anniversary of NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, as we continue to look at how the Trump administration is pushing for NATO countries to increase military spending. AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!,, The War and Peace Report.
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