U.S. contributions to mutually beneficial security efforts should be matched by our allies. Keeping track of our allies’ defense spending and contributions to joint operations will help Congress ensure that the U.S. is not taken advantage of by allies who fail to pay their fair share of our mutual defense.
Measuring our allies’ defense spending in dollars alone doesn’t fully account for the value they bring to mutual defense efforts. Additionally, expecting most U.S. allies to spend as much as the U.S. on defense simply isn’t reasonable, given the U.S.’ larger economy and more sophisticated military. Finally, NATO already provides this information in its annual secretary-general report.