June 24, 2019
New Pentagon head to push NATO on military spending
Mark Esper takes over Monday as acting secretary of defense, and this week at a NATO meeting he will continue the Trump administration’s push for trans-Atlantic allies to boost defense spending to the alliance goal of 2% of gross domestic product. Esper will focus on “more equitable burden sharing,” according to a Pentagon statement.
Already there has been movement toward the goal. Several NATO members increased military investments following escalation with Russia over the past few years, said defense analyst Byron Callan of Capital Alpha Partners. It’s part of a decadelong upward trend, following a post-Cold War period of “peace dividend” spending declines, said Rachel Rizzo, fellow at the Center for a New American Security.
Listen to the full conversation and more on NPR's Marketplace.
More from CNAS
-
Nord Stream 2 and the Biden Administration, with Daniel Fried and Steven Pifer
Podcast
How can the transatlantic alliance manage the political and security challenges presented by the Nord Stream 2 pipeline? Daniel Fried and Steven Piferjoin Andrea Kendall-Taylo...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Jim Townsend
-
Blinken/Ukraine-Russia Tensions
Podcast
Andrea Kendall-Taylor discusses with host Carol Castiel the significance of Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Ukraine. Listen to the full episode from Voice of Ame...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor
-
China and Russia’s Dangerous Convergence
Commentary
Any effort to address either Russia’s or China’s destabilizing behavior must now account for the two countries’ deepening partnership....
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor & David Shullman
-
U.S. and Allied Withdrawal from Afghanistan, with Federica Mogherini and Lisa Curtis
Podcast
What does President Biden’s decision to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan mean for American allies? Federica Mogherini and Lisa Curtis join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim To...
By Carisa Nietsche, Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Federica Mogherini & Lisa Curtis
