Pence pressues NATO members need to live up to commitments

Vice President Mike Pence on Monday delivered a stern warning to NATO member countries, urging them to start living up to their military commitments to the alliance.

Speaking to European leaders in Brussels, Pence reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to the treaty organization, but said that the country was bearing too much of its costs.

NATO members are required to spend 2 percent of their annual gross domestic product (GDP) on defense spending. Currently, only five NATO member countries meet or exceed that target – the U.S., Greece, the U.K., Estonia and Poland.

{mosads}Germany and Canada, two of the United States’ most steadfast allies, fall well-below the 2 percent target, spending 1.19 percent and 0.99 percent respectively.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who appeared alongside Pence on Monday, agreed with the vice president’s call for more equal expense sharing among member countries.

President Trump has also argued that other NATO countries have failed to meet their defense commitments. At a campaign rally in Florida over the weekend, Trump called himself a “fan” of the alliance, but said other countries weren’t carrying their weight.

“We’re fighting battles that no longer help us,” Trump said. “We’re fighting battles that other people aren’t treating us fairly in the fight. I’m a NATO fan, but many of the countries in NATO, many of the countries that we protect, many of these countries are very rich countries. They’re not paying their bills.”