Sponsors (7)
The resolution pushes NATO allies to raise defense spending to strengthen readiness, cyber resilience, and accountability, but it raises risks of higher taxpayer costs, pressure on domestic services, and strain on smaller allied economies and political cohesion.
NATO member militaries: increasing defense spending toward a 5% of GDP target would boost readiness, deterrence, and interoperability — including improved posture against cyber threats.
Allied networks and critical systems: additional spending on infrastructure and cyber resilience would strengthen allied networks and reduce vulnerability to cyberattacks and infrastructure failures.
Taxpayers and oversight bodies: clearer, transparent spending targets and verifiable accounting would improve coordination and accountability of allied defense funds.
Taxpayers: imposing higher defense spending targets (e.g., 5% of GDP) could increase overall government spending and translate into higher taxes or redirected public funds.
State governments, nonprofits, and domestic social programs: counting less domestic infrastructure toward targets may force cuts to domestic programs or require additional military-specific spending at the expense of social services.
Smaller NATO economies and alliance cohesion: pressuring all allies to meet a uniform 5% target could strain smaller economies and provoke political friction within NATO, risking unity and cooperative decision-making.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Expresses the Senate's findings urging NATO allies to implement a 5% of GDP defense target split 3.5% military / 1.5% non-traditional with disciplined, transparent accounting and no broad exemptions.
Expresses the Senate's findings and urges NATO allies to adopt and transparently implement a proposed 5% of GDP defense-commitment, divided into 3.5% for traditional military spending and 1.5% for non-traditional defense (infrastructure, cyber resilience). It objects to ambiguous treaty language and exemptions, warns against counting most domestic infrastructure toward the 1.5% non-traditional component, and attributes past shortfalls on the 2% target to political will rather than unavoidable circumstances. The measure is a declaratory resolution: it lays out priorities and concerns about alliance burden-sharing and implementation approach rather than creating new spending or regulatory requirements for U.S. agencies or allies.
Official title: Urging all members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to spend a minimum of 5 percent of gross domestic product on defense.
Introduced July 30, 2025 by John Neely Kennedy · Last progress July 30, 2025