What is NATO and how much do members spend on defense?

NATO, or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is an intergovernmental military alliance that was established in 1949. Its headquarters are located in Brussels, Belgium.

The primary purpose of NATO is to promote the security and defense of its member states through political and military cooperation. It operates on the principle of collective defense, where an attack on one member is considered an attack on all members.

As of 2021, there are 30 member countries in NATO, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, and France. Each member country is required to spend a certain percentage of its GDP on defense.

The agreed-upon target is for each member to spend at least 2% of their GDP on defense. However, not all members meet this target, with only a few countries reaching or exceeding this threshold.

In 2020, the United States had the highest defense expenditure among NATO members, spending over $700 billion, followed by Germany, the United Kingdom, and France. On the other hand, countries like Belgium, Luxembourg, and Spain spent less than the 2% target.

Despite the discrepancies in defense spending among member countries, NATO remains a vital alliance for ensuring peace and security in the Euro-Atlantic region and beyond.