The US may have pushed for more military spending by NATO members, but they themselves might struggle to raise defence spending to 5% of GDP given their already-large budget deficit. The challenge is reflected in the chart below, which shows each NATO member’s budget balance in 2024 and the required increase in military spending to hit the 5% target. The US had a budget deficit of 7.3% of GDP, the second highest among NATO members. It would need to raise military spending by a further 1.6% to hit the 5% target — resulting in a combined shortfall of 8.8% of GDP. This is second only to Romania among NATO members, which has a budget deficit of 8.6% and will need to increase military spending by a further 2.7% to reach the target.