National Defense Autonomy | SAIGON GIAI PHONG NEWSPAPER

At a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels, Belgium, on February 14, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced an increase in the alliance's defense budget, just days after former US President Donald Trump criticized NATO countries for not allocating the required 2% of their GDP to defense.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks at a press conference in Brussels, Belgium. Photo: AFP/VNA.

Currently, only 11 out of 31 NATO member states have met the target of allocating 2% of their GDP to defense in 2023. This number could increase to 20 countries in 2024. According to observers, Europe has become overly confident that stability has been restored after decades of peace and prioritized economic development, neglecting the defense sector. However, recent geopolitical tensions and conflicts have awakened Europe. Peace is no longer guaranteed.

According to observers, all European NATO member states are not yet ready to defend against an attack, despite having a common defense network and the North Atlantic military alliance. Many experts believe that Europe is still too dependent on the US for defense. Donald Trump's threats force European countries to envision a future where the American shield may no longer exist.

In fact, for the past two years, Europe has advocated for increased defense spending, with the 2% of GDP target for defense becoming a floor, not a ceiling. Global instability, along with the uncertainty surrounding whether the Republican or Democratic party will be in power in the US, has forced Europe to reconsider its options to avoid over-reliance on Washington. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz referred to a "war economy." Sweden restarted military service. Poland invested 3.9% of its GDP in defense. In the "Weimar Triangle" meeting between France, Germany, and Poland, these countries all called for strengthening European defense...

General Dominique Trinquand, former head of the French military mission to the United Nations and NATO, noted that while ambitions for European strategic autonomy have yet to be realized, and most Eastern and Southern European countries still rely on Washington's protection through the purchase of military equipment, Europe still needs to rearm and restructure to achieve defense self-reliance. Of course, this must take place within the framework of NATO.

MINH CHAU

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/tu-chu-quoc-phong-post726895.html