Source · Select Committees · Defence Committee
Recommendation 2
2
Accepted
European NATO members remain over-reliant on United States defence capabilities
Conclusion
Europe is over-reliant on US defence capabilities. Despite indications from successive US Presidents that Europe needs to step up, European NATO members have failed to invest in key strategic enablers. (Conclusion, Paragraph 14)
Government Response Summary
The government notes that NATO Allies committed to spending 5% of GDP on defence by 2035 at The Hague Summit, and the UK is increasing its own defence spending to 2.6% of GDP by 2027 with an ambition to reach 3% in the next Parliament.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
At the NATO Summit in The Hague in June 2025, all 32 Allies agreed the foundations for a stronger, fairer, and more lethal NATO now and in the future, with their historic commitment to spending 5% of GDP on defence and wider national security by 2035. This will see a generational increase in defence and security spending across the Alliance, underlining the UK’s and our European Allies’ commitment to stepping up and taking a greater share of the burden in NATO. President Trump has reaffirmed America’s commitment to NATO and Article 5, with the UK recognising that the transatlantic relationship is vital for our security and defence, as it also is for theirs. The UK is on a rising defence spending trajectory, supported by a fully funded plan to increase core defence spending to 2.6% of GDP by 2027, with an ambition to reach 3% in the next Parliament. This represents the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War. It also aligns with the UK’s commitment made at the Hague Summit to spend 5% of GDP on defence and security. These steps ensure the UK remains a leading contributor to NATO and Euro-Atlantic security, not least as the only European nation to commit its nuclear deterrent to the security of the Alliance – the ultimate ‘strategic enabler.’