NATO defense ministers set to agree on new capability targets

By Melike Pala

BRUSSELS (AA) - NATO defense ministers are set to approve the alliance's new capability targets for the next five to 10 years, a senior NATO official told reporters Wednesday.

The ministers, who will gather at the Brussels headquarters on Thursday, will endorse the updated goals designed to address future security needs, according to the official.

The targets will be allocated based on the specific roles each allied country is expected to play.

Allies will be required to develop concrete plans to acquire the capabilities and ensure they can deploy them quickly and efficiently whenever necessary. Achieving the goals will require defense spending to exceed 3% of each country's GDP.

The exact spending targets will be finalized by leaders at a NATO summit from June 23-25 at The Hague.

Asked whether NATO would impose sanctions on member countries that fail to meet the capability commitments, the official emphasized that "it is a question of solidarity" for allies.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte highlighted earlier Thursday that among the alliance's top priorities are air and missile defense, long-range weapons, logistics and large land maneuver formations.