MOSCOW (Sputnik) – NATO is asking European member states to increase their ground-based air defense forces fivefold, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing sources familiar with the matter.
The plans come against the backdrop of a broader, decade plus-long NATO military buildup, which began in the aftermath of the Euromaidan coup in Ukraine, and has seen defense spending jump from about $850 billion in 2014 to $1.47 trillion in 2024. In that time, US absolute spending has jumped by $317 billion, but fell as a percentage of the total from 76% to 66%, while European members’ spending surged by 72%.
Hit by economic malaise, economic crises and loss of export competitiveness stemming partly from the rejection of Russian energy resources, European allied majors including Britain and Germany have made cuts to social programs to fuel the military buildup.
