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NATO鈥檚 Article 5 has been invoked once鈥� in support of the US shortly after September 11, 2001.  

Donald Trump president to complain about NATO. Nor was he the first to call out NATO members who fall short of their commitment to spend 2% of their gross domestic product (GDP) on national defense. George W. Bush often used NATO summits to demand that member nations meet their obligations. Barack Obama once referred to those who didn鈥檛 as 鈥�.鈥�

When US presidents (and others) criticize nations that fall short of the 2% commitment, they aren鈥檛 being petty or shrill. Taken together, the defense budgets of NATO members go to the heart of the alliance鈥檚 ability to deter attacks, which, after all, is the very reason for NATO鈥檚 existence. It provides tangible proof of what NATO could do if its (which states that if any NATO ally is attacked, it is considered a defendable attack against all NATO allies) were invoked.  

In 2006, NATO defense ministers that each member nation would spend a minimum of 2% of its GDP on defense鈥� though only a handful would follow through. At the 2014 NATO summit, held not long after Russia鈥檚 illegal annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, member heads of state formally reaffirmed the 2% commitment. At the time, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said, 鈥渢he security of our countries and citizens is too important for us to cut corners, or to cut still more funds, and without security, we can have no prosperity.鈥� By the end of 2014, the number of member countries giving the full 2% rose to 10.  

In 2022, in the wake of Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine, the number of member nations meeting the 2% standard increased again and reached 18 by 2024. And, as NATO officials were quick to point out, when the new contribution levels of all European NATO members are counted together, of their combined GDP.  

NATO鈥檚 overall membership has grown since Russia launched its war on Ukraine. and Sweden are now members, increasing the number of NATO allies to 32, bringing both additional defense dollars and to NATO鈥檚 defense capabilities. Bosnia & Herzegovina, Georgia, and Ukraine (already 鈥溾��) have also declared their intent to join the alliance.  

While the nearly two-decades-old 2% commitment is fundamental to NATO鈥檚 deterrence effect, by itself it鈥檚 not enough. Deterrence only works if foes and potential foes believe that the alliance and its members are ready and willing to mobilize after Article 5 is invoked.  

One day after the horrific 9/11 terrorist strikes that killed thousands in New York, Pennsylvania, and our nation鈥檚 capital, the North Atlantic Council met and announced its intention to invoke Article 5. Secretary General Lord Robertson the move a 鈥渞eaffirmation of a solemn treaty commitment.鈥� 

This marked the first time in NATO鈥檚 52-year history鈥攁nd the only time since鈥攖hat Article 5 has been invoked. And to its credit, NATO went beyond mere words. In the months and years that followed, even though the US had by far the largest military and defense budget of any NATO member, others in the alliance still stepped forward to defend America and by extension, the alliance.  

NATO launched operation 鈥�,鈥� its first anti-terror operation, and the first deployment of NATO military assets. Seven NATO AWACS (the world-renowned radar aircraft) were flown by 830 crew members of 13 nationalities to patrol and protect American skies. A second operation to deter terrorist activities on the waters of the Eastern Mediterranean, dubbed 鈥�,鈥� soon followed. In addition, the North Atlantic Council unanimously adopted eight measures to promote intelligence-sharing, increase security, backfill assets, and provide further support against terrorist activities. 

Just as Russia鈥檚 2022 invasion brought NATO new members and greater compliance with the 2% commitment, it also changed how alliance members their own military resources against an increasingly aggressive, increasingly hostile Russia. Article 5鈥檚 promise of collective security likely emboldened members to send arms to Ukraine鈥攖hey knew it wouldn鈥檛 diminish their own ability to respond to an attack. Allies pledged $700 million in aid, from body armor and transport vehicles to medical supplies and combat rations.  

If you visit NATO headquarters in Brussels, you鈥檒l find that a part of the World Trade Center鈥檚 North Tower rests on a gleaming silver pedestal鈥� a somber reminder of American lives lost. But it also serves as a clear symbol of Article 5鈥檚 importance to its members, even the member with the largest military and defense budget. In his reflection on the memorial, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg reaffirmed: 鈥淭o bring an end to conflicts which fuel terrorism, we need political, diplomatic, and economic efforts. And we need military might.鈥�   

Stoltenberg鈥檚 words ring true for battles past and future against terrorism, and our current battle against a dictatorship on the march. 

This article was researched and drafted with the assistance of Katherine Schauer.