5545107 <\/p>\n
U.S. President Donald Trump lashed out at Germany over its lack of military spending Saturday, and figures show the countryhas contributed $209.7 billion below the 2 percent of GDP required of NATO members since 2009. <\/p>\n
Trump said Germany owes NATO and the U.S. vast sums of money for defense in a series of tweets following his Friday meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. <\/p>\n
German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen quicklyrejected the claim, saying, There is no account where debts are registered with NATO. <\/p>\n
While NATO doesnt keep a debt account for each member state, and the 2 percent pledge wasnt agreed upon until 2014, the alliance loses more$20 billion in German military spending each year. <\/p>\n
The total gross domestic product in Germany since the start of 2009 is approximately $28.5 trillion, according to NATO figures. During these eight years, Germany spent about $359.8 billion on its military. The average defense expenditure per year is around 1.27 percent of total GDP. <\/p>\n
If Germany met NATOs 2 percent target each year, it wouldhave racked up $569.5 billion since 2009, leaving a $209.7 billion gap in funding. <\/p>\n
Defense Expenditure in million U.S. dollars (2010 prices and exchange rates) <\/p>\n
Germany is far from alone.Out of the alliances 28 members, just five meet the spending goal. (RELATED: When The NATO Bill Hits The Table, These Are The Countries Who Hesitate To Reach For The Wallet) <\/p>\n
Von der Leyen recently called on NATO to revise itsspending criteria and instead measure contributions through an activity index. <\/p>\n
Participation in NATO operations and contributions in personnel and hardware are examples of areas where Germany suggests countries can make up for a lack of defense spending while still meeting their obligations. <\/p>\n
The Merkel administrationhas made a recent push to revitalize the German military and fulfill its NATO obligations, announcing a number of new defense initiatives with France, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania and the Czech Republic. <\/p>\n
Obligations have to be fulfilled, Merkel said at a campaign rally Feb. 25. And, others in the world will demand that of us. And, I think theyre right that Germany must uphold its obligations. <\/p>\n
The German army hopes to add 5,000 soldiers by 2024, but the increase would only cost $1.03 billion extra per year. <\/p>\n
Follow Jacob on Twitter <\/p>\n
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [emailprotected]. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Link: 5545107 U.S. President Donald Trump lashed out at Germany over its lack of military spending Saturday, and figures show the countryhas contributed $209.7 billion below the 2 percent of GDP required of NATO members since 2009. Trump said Germany owes NATO and the U.S. Continue reading
\nIf Germany Did Actually Owe NATO, The Amount Would Be Staggering [Graph] - Daily Caller<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"