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Mattis threatens Nato with reduced US support over defence spending Mattis threatens Nato with reduced US support over defence spending
(about 2 hours later)
The US defence secretary has told America’s Nato allies that they must honour military spending pledges to ensure the US does not “moderate” its support for the alliance. The new US defence secretary has delivered an ultimatum to Nato allies, saying they must either honour military spending pledges or face the prospect of America “moderating” its commitment to the transatlantic organisation.
“I owe it to you to give you clarity on the political reality in the United States, and to state the fair demand from my country’s people in concrete terms,” said General James Mattis during closed door talks in Brussels, where he was speaking on his first visit to Europe since taking up his job. James Mattis issued the warning to the other 27 members of the alliance on Wednesday during a closed session at Nato headquarters in Brussels on his first visit to Europe as a senior member of Donald Trump’s cabinet.
Mattis’s predecessors have made similar threats over the last decade during visits to Nato, but without the same conviction. “I owe it to you to give you clarity on the political reality in the United States, and to state the fair demand from my country’s people in concrete terms,” he said.
“America will meet its responsibilities, but if your nations do not want to see America moderate its commitment to this alliance, each of your capitals needs to show support for our common defence.”“America will meet its responsibilities, but if your nations do not want to see America moderate its commitment to this alliance, each of your capitals needs to show support for our common defence.”
Mattis had earlier expressed strong support for Nato, describing the transatlantic alliance as a “fundamental bedrock” of his country’s defence policy, in an apparent attempt to try to reassure European allies unnerved by Donald Trump’s description of Nato as “obsolete”. Trump repeatedly said on the campaign trail last year that it was time for European countries to stump up a fair share for an organisation he denounced as “obsolete”. He created alarm among other Nato members when he said the US might not automatically come to the defence of a fellow member under attack.
Trump “has strong support for Nato”, he said, against a backdrop of fresh scrutiny over the new US administration’s alleged links to Russia. Only five of the 28 members meet Nato’s target of spending at least 2% of GDP on defence: the US, the UK, Poland, Greece and Estonia. The US spends 3.6% percent on defence and the UK 2.2%, based on Nato figures for 2016, while Germany spends 1.1%, France 1.7%, Italy 1.1% and Spain 0.9%.
But Mattis also told a meeting of defence ministers: “No longer can the American taxpayer carry a disproportionate share of the defence of western values. Americans cannot care more for your children’s future security than you do.” Mattis did not spell out what he meant by “moderating” support.
Trump has long argued that the US bears too large a share of the Nato financial burden and that the other member countries should at least meet the target of spending at least 2% of their national GDP on defence. Nato says only the US, UK, Poland, Estonia and Greece have met the target The Obama administration, in response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, reversed US troop withdrawals from Europe and began the biggest deployment since the end of the cold war, with the first of 4,000 extra troops arriving in Poland in January.
Mattis tried to make his case by citing the threat from Moscow, noting Russia’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region and Islamic State’s hold over parts of Iraq and Syria, and saying that “some in this alliance have looked away in denial of what is happening”. On Wednesday Mattis said he wanted Nato to adopt a plan with new target dates for meeting at least the 2% target and that the plan should be in place by next year.
Earlier he expressed support for the alliance, saying it was a “fundamental bedrock” of US defence policy. Against a backdrop of fresh scrutiny over the new US administration’s alleged links to Russia, he claimed this support was backed by his boss, saying Trump had “strong support for Nato”.
But Mattis also told the meeting of defence ministers: “No longer can the American taxpayer carry a disproportionate share of the defence of western values. Americans cannot care more for your children’s future security than you do.”
Mattis tried to make his case by citing the threat from Moscow, noting the annexation of Crimea and Islamic State’s hold over parts of Iraq and Syria, and saying that “some in this alliance have looked away in denial of what is happening”.
“Despite the threats from the east and south, we have failed to fill gaps in our Nato response force or to adapt,” he added.“Despite the threats from the east and south, we have failed to fill gaps in our Nato response force or to adapt,” he added.
Mattis will attend the Munich security conference at the weekend on a visit that will offer another opportunity for European defence and security ministers to try to gauge the Trump administration’s plans.Mattis will attend the Munich security conference at the weekend on a visit that will offer another opportunity for European defence and security ministers to try to gauge the Trump administration’s plans.
Briefing defence correspondents during a flight from Washington to Brussels, Mattis adopted a more sceptical line towards Russia than Trump has so far. He spoke about the need for Nato to adapt to what he called the “watershed” year of 2014, when Russian involvement in Ukraine meant that “many of our hopes for some kind of partnership with Russia were finally shown to be unavailing”. On the campaign trail Trump repeatedly claimed that the US was paying 75%of Nato’s costs because European countries, struggling with domestic spending problems, were unwilling to contribute their share.
But he shared Trump’s call for an increase in European defence spending. Although the US and UK use the yardstick of 2% of GDP, the running costs of Nato shared by all 28 members in 2016 amounted to about $2bn (£1.6bn). While the US was the biggest contributor, this amounted to significantly less than Trump’s claimed 75%. The US paid 22% of the common running costs, Germany 14.6%, France 10.6% and Spain 5.7%.
“A number of European nations already meet the 2.0 [%]. A number of others are clearly on a trajectory to get there and we have to have an open conversation among friends and allies about where we’re going and turn to that level of commitment.” The UK defence secretary, Michael Fallon, who was at the meeting and supports the push for other countries to raise defence spending to 2%, said Mattis had explained that “the impatience of the American taxpayer is a reality”.
On Tuesday, the International Institute for Strategic Studies thinktank said in its annual military balance report that UK defence spending had fallen to 1.98% in 2016. The UK Ministry of Defence disputed this.On Tuesday, the International Institute for Strategic Studies thinktank said in its annual military balance report that UK defence spending had fallen to 1.98% in 2016. The UK Ministry of Defence disputed this.
Trump created alarm among other Nato members last year when he said the US might not automatically come to the defence of a fellow member under attack.