Key facts
- The U.S. ambassador to NATO stated the Czech Republic must spend more on defense to meet required NATO targets.
- The Czech Republic is trending towards the bottom of the alliance in defense spending.
- The Czech Republic plans to achieve the 2% NATO spending threshold in 2027.
- Prime Minister Andrej Babis argued the country needed money for infrastructure and hospitals, limiting defense resources.
The U.S. ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, expressed disappointment with the Czech Republic's defense spending levels during a conference in Prague on Friday. He stated that the country must increase its expenditure to meet alliance targets and is currently trending towards the bottom among NATO members.
Whitaker noted that the Czech Republic has consistently failed to meet NATO's minimum 2% of GDP defense spending threshold and is projected to miss it again this year, only achieving the level in 2027. Furthermore, the country has not established a clear path toward NATO's 2035 target of 3.5% core defense spending, plus an additional 1.5% for defense-related infrastructure, as agreed upon at a 2025 summit in The Hague.
Whitaker emphasized that while the United States remains committed to NATO, allies are expected to "step up." He mentioned delivering this message in person to Czech officials. The Czech government, led by Prime Minister Andrej Babis, reportedly cut proposed defense spending for the current year to around 1.7-1.8% of GDP, with plans to reach 2% next year. Babis has cited the need for funds for infrastructure and hospitals as a reason for limited defense resources.