NATO calls on members to increase defence spending

Members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation are falling short on defence spending, according to its Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

Despite an overall rise for European members of the alliance, military expenditures remained below the threshold of 2% of GDP espoused by US President Donald Trump in the weeks following his entrance to the Oval Office.

Trump previously criticised the organisation during his election campaign before calling on members to reach the 2% figure in order to ensure that European members "pay their fair share".

Stoltenberg toed that line in an annual report released on Monday.

"We still do not have fair burden sharing within our alliance," Stoltenberg said. "Only five allies met the 2 per cent guideline in 2016. We must redouble our efforts to speed up national efforts to keep our pledge."

According to figures from NATO, Britain has met the minimum 2% defence spending figure, but according to a report released by thinktank the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the UK falls short with 1.98%.

Stoltenberg called on European states to increase their spending, with the average for countries from the bloc currently standing at 1.47%, compared with 3.16% in the US.

"There has been progress but the job is far from done, we still have no fair burden-sharing within our alliance," Stoltenberg added. "It is realistic that all allies reach the goal of two percent."

France and Spain both saw a reduction in defence spending during 2016, with the former spending 1.79% of national income and the latter dropping to 0.9% of GDP.