ZAGREB, 16 May (Hina) – Defence Minister Ivan Anušić on Friday confirmed the announcement made by US State Secretary Marco Rubio that NATO member-states are likely to agree on increasing their defence spending to 5% of their GDP in the next decade.
U.S. Secretary of State Rubio said on Thursday that all NATO members will have agreed on a goal of spending the equivalent of 5% of GDP on defence over the next decade by the 2025 NATO Summit in June.
Anušić told the press in Zagreb after a ceremony marking the Day of the Franjo Tuđman University of Defence and Security that the planned increase in the defence allocation would be upheld at NATO’s summit meeting in The Hague.
Croatia has already reached the 2% allocation for equipment, armament and modernisation of the armed forces in 2025, Anušić recalled.
He also stated that he expects a proposal for 3.5% plus 1.5%, meaning that 3.5% would be allocated for modernisation, armament, and equipment, while 1.5% would be invested in infrastructure directly related to security.
“So it’s not solely about armament, equipment, and modernisation, infrastructure is also included,” the minister emphasised, noting that he was referring to airports, corridors, border barriers, and security systems installed at borders in relation to migration, as well as to civil protection and the police.
“Croatia is prepared to reach the 3% spending target for modernisation, equipment, and armament by 2030, and the allocations will continue to grow year by year,” the minister stated.
He believes that this goal may even be achieved earlier, since the projected target of 2% by 2027 has already been reached this year.
“If that is the stance of all NATO member states, and considering the current circumstances facing not only Croatia but the whole of Europe and the world, a more serious approach to defence, security, and modernisation is necessary – and Croatia is ready to meet that challenge“, Anušić concluded.
Speaking about the procurement of CAESAR howitzers, the minister said that Croatia intends to sign contracts with the French manufacturer by the end of the year and to integrate them into its Armed Forces.
