NATO Set to Approve New Military Purchases as Part of a Major Defense Spending Hike

NATO defence ministers are set Thursday to approve purchasing targets for stocking up on weapons and military equipment to better defend Europe, the Arctic and the North Atlantic, as part of a U.S. push to ramp up security spending.

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The "capability targets" lay out goals for each of the 32 nations to purchase priority equipment like air defense systems, long-range missiles, artillery, ammunition, drones and "strategic enablers" such as air-to-air refueling, heavy air transport and logistics. Each nation's plan is classified, so details are scarce.

"Today we decide on the capability targets. From there, we will assess the gaps we have, not only to be able to defend ourselves today, but also three, five, seven years from now," NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said. "All these investments have to be financed," he told reporters before chairing the meeting at NATO's Brussels headquarters. U.S. President Donald Trump and his NATO counterparts will meet on June 24-25 to agree to new defense investment goals.