US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says NATO is already "very close" to agreement on the new goal. Sweden's Pål Jonson (M) agrees.
I assess that it is a high probability for that. And it has to do with the fact that we have now finally adopted the military capability goals. It is completely obvious that they will require significant defense investments, says Jonson after Thursday's defense minister meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
The percentage goal is divided into 3.5 percent traditional defense funds and 1.5 percent in investments considered to have military utility – everything from roads and bridges to civil defense and likely also the support that countries give to Ukraine.
New capability requirements
A formal decision is expected at the NATO summit in The Hague at the end of June. Before that, it is also hoped that an agreement can be reached on when the goal should be fulfilled. Sweden is behind 2030 as a suitable year, while more uncertain countries want to wait until 2032 or 2035.
The increased funds will be used for the new military requirements for countries that defense ministers agreed on Thursday. What they mean in concrete terms for Sweden in terms of the number of soldiers or weapons systems, Jonson does not want to reveal publicly.
The capability goals are secret, so I don't want to go into details, but they will mean that we have better ability to sustain high-intensity combat. It will also mean that we will get certain types of qualified resources that are important, Jonson concludes.
Air defense
Much is linked to the experiences that the war in Ukraine has given – for example, the importance of air defense and drones, but also personnel.
The defense minister says it will require greater volume and greater endurance among European defense forces. There are gaps when it comes to Europe, especially in terms of available ground combat units, he says.
