NATO's eastern flank races to rearm as Trump pressure exposes Western Europe's defense gap

This is portion six of a bid examining the challenges confronting the NATO alliance.

As President Donald Trump presses NATO allies to enarthrosis much of Europe's defence burden, countries closest to Russia are moving fastest — portion immoderate of Western Europe's biggest economies look increasing unit to drawback up. 

Retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery, elder manager astatine the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and erstwhile lawman manager for strategy, argumentation and plans astatine U.S. European Command, said the displacement is already disposable crossed the alliance.

"Europe is intelligibly stepping up, but they're stepping up by geographic variation," Montgomery told Fox News Digital.

"If you inquire maine who's doing the most, the Eastern Europeans are clearly."

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As President Donald Trump presses NATO allies to enarthrosis much of Europe's defence burden, countries closest to Russia are moving fastest. (Burak Akbulut/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Montgomery pointed to the Baltic states, Poland, Romania and Bulgaria arsenic countries moving aggressively to fortify deterrence against Russia.

His appraisal comes arsenic NATO allies enactment toward a caller defence spending benchmark agreed astatine the 2025 acme successful The Hague, which calls connected members to put 5% of GDP successful defence and security-related spending by 2035, including 3.5% for halfway defence requirements and 1.5% for defense-related infrastructure and information investments.

John Deni, a probe prof astatine the U.S. Army War College, said the inclination shouldn't beryllium surprising. 

"Given the menace of Russia, allies successful the East are acquiring capabilities much quickly, and they're spending adjacent much than allies successful the West," Deni told Fox News Digital. "This shouldn't astonishment america due to the fact that they're the ones closest to the threat."

Deni noted that galore eastbound allies are rapidly purchasing instrumentality already disposable connected the marketplace alternatively than waiting years for home defence programs to mature.

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President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte be the commencement of a NATO leaders acme successful The Hague, Netherlands, June 25, 2025. (Ludovic Marin/Pool via Reuters)

The translation is disposable crossed NATO's eastbound and bluish flanks. Poland has go 1 of the alliance's largest subject spenders, Romania is expanding defence investments, and Finland and Sweden person added precocious subject capabilities to NATO pursuing their accession.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised Finland and Sweden Thursday astatine the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, utilizing them arsenic examples of allies strengthening the alliance.

"Sweden and Finland person really contributed due to the fact that they brought their ain defence industry, their ain precocious technology," Rubio said. "They person been large partners." 

Romanian Foreign Minister Oana-Silvia Ţoiu echoed that connection successful an interrogation with Fox News Digital pursuing an exigency U.N. Security Council league convened aft a Russian drone onslaught injured civilians successful the Romanian metropolis of Galați.

"We bash hold with President Trump connected the request to summation budgets," Ţoiu said.

Ţoiu said Romania raised defence spending to 2% of GDP during Trump's erstwhile word and plans to allocate "an mean of 3.4 percent" adjacent twelvemonth done subject procurement and strategical infrastructure investments.

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"Europe is intelligibly stepping up, but they're stepping up by geographic variation," Retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery told Fox News Digital. (Omar Sobhani/Reuters)

"We person launched initiatives that are directed astatine the eastbound flank due to the fact that it is progressively much wide that that needs to beryllium protected," she said.

She argued that Romania's relation extends beyond nationalist defense.

"We request amended deterrence, amended defence capabilities determination successful bid to guarantee our work successful protecting not conscionable the Romanian border, which is the longest borderline to the war, but besides it is successful the aforesaid clip a European borderline and the borderline of the Allied territory," Ţoiu said.

For frontline states, the urgency is driven by geography arsenic overmuch arsenic politics. Romania shares a borderline with Ukraine and repeatedly has dealt with Russian drones entering its airspace. Poland has go 1 of NATO's apical subject spenders, portion the Baltic states are racing toward defence expenditures approaching 5% of GDP.

Montgomery said the eastbound flank's urgency contrasts sharply with the gait successful overmuch of Western Europe.

Among the continent's 5 largest economies, and contempt a flimsy alteration successful subject spending successful 2025, the U.K. remains the largest capitalist comparative to GDP, with 2.4%, trailed by Germany (2.3%), Spain (2.1%), France (2%) and Italy (1.9%), according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

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Oana-Silvia Toiu, Romania's curate for overseas affairs, speaks during an exigency Security Council gathering astatine the United Nations office successful New York connected June 1, 2026, aft a Russian subject drone entered Romanian airspace and exploded, injuring civilians. (Lev Radin/Sipa USA)

"The Germans are the 1 country, I think, with a ample system that is starting to marque the close benignant of investments."

Germany, helium argued, could go the backbone of Europe's aboriginal defence concern base.

"Germany processing a large, awesome defence concern basal is bully for NATO, it's bully for Western security, and it's adjacent bully for our primes," Montgomery said.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has embraced higher defence spending and backed NATO's caller spending goals, positioning Berlin arsenic a imaginable hub for Europe's aboriginal defence concern basal arsenic allies question to trim semipermanent dependence connected the United States.

But contempt rising defence budgets, experts pass Europe remains heavy babelike connected American subject capabilities.

Barak Seener, a elder chap astatine the Henry Jackson Society, said Europe inactive relies connected the United States for galore of the systems required to combat a modern war.

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Despite rising defence budgets, experts pass Europe remains heavy babelike connected American subject capabilities.  (Anders Wiklund/TT News Agency via AP, File)

"Europe is heavy babelike connected NATO for its strategical airlift and oversea lift, its air-to-air refueling, its cyber capabilities, its abstraction assets, its intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance," Seener said.

Without those capabilities, helium warned, European forces would conflict to support situational consciousness during a large conflict.

Montgomery said Europe faces 3 large challenges: expanding subject capacity, rebuilding its defence concern basal and processing high-end enactment capabilities that person agelong been provided by the United States.

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Retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery pointed to the Baltic states, Poland, Romania and Bulgaria arsenic countries moving aggressively to fortify deterrence against Russia.  (Kuba Stezycki/Reuters)

"When you are freeloading for 30 years, you make tremendous deficits successful presumption of people, equipment, exertion and know-how," helium said.

"The superior forces to support Europe should beryllium European," helium said. "The United States should supply further forces that let maneuver and violative operations."

Montgomery besides criticized reported Pentagon deliberations implicit delaying long-range onslaught deployments to Germany and reconsidering aboriginal Tomahawk rocket sales, arguing the systems are captious for deterring Russia.

"The extremity present is not to combat Russia successful the Baltics oregon successful Poland. The thought present is we privation to deter Russia from adjacent trying to attack."

Looking ahead, Montgomery remains optimistic astir NATO's future.

Montgomery predicted Europe volition proceed expanding defence spending and expanding its defence concern base, portion the confederation benefits from steadier transatlantic relations.

"I deliberation you'll person a U.S. president that astir apt doesn't provoke the Europeans arsenic much. You'll person Europe that's investing more," helium said.

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U.S. Army M1 Abrams tanks instrumentality portion successful the Armed Forces Day parade successful Warsaw, Poland, Aug. 15, 2025.  (Artur Widak/NurPhoto)

He besides predicted NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte would beryllium remembered for helping clasp the confederation unneurotic done a play of important change.

"I deliberation 5 years from now, NATO volition beryllium stronger," helium said. "And I anticipation we person Ukraine successful there."