https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/how-strong-is-the-nato-military-alliance <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Research Professor Alexander Matelaar from the University of Brussels argues that defence spending among Nato members must be restructured.<br /><br />"I think there is a dawning realisation that the downward trend in defence expenditures needs to bottom out at some point. In the middle of Europe, they're sort of bottoming out, and they're still declining in western Europe."<br /><br />This year, only five of Nato's 28 members reached the target of spending 2% of GDP on defence. <br /><br />But it's not just cuts to defence budgets that are causing concern. It's what that defence budget is being spent on. Take Belgium.<br /><br />Read more:<br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-31503859">http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-31503859</a># <div class="pta-link-card answers-template-image type-default"> <div class="pta-link-card-picture"> <img src="https://d26horl2n8pviu.cloudfront.net/link_data_pictures/images/000/009/105/qrc/_81057930_natoprotests_getty.jpg?1443033964"> </div> <div class="pta-link-card-content"> <p class="pta-link-card-title"> <a target="blank" href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-31503859#">How strong is the Nato military alliance? - BBC News</a> </p> <p class="pta-link-card-description">As the Baltic states look on uneasily at Ukraine’s latest fragile ceasefire, what has the conflict revealed about the West’s military alliance Nato?</p> </div> <div class="clearfix"></div> </div> Tue, 17 Feb 2015 22:32:22 -0500 https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/how-strong-is-the-nato-military-alliance <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Research Professor Alexander Matelaar from the University of Brussels argues that defence spending among Nato members must be restructured.<br /><br />"I think there is a dawning realisation that the downward trend in defence expenditures needs to bottom out at some point. In the middle of Europe, they're sort of bottoming out, and they're still declining in western Europe."<br /><br />This year, only five of Nato's 28 members reached the target of spending 2% of GDP on defence. <br /><br />But it's not just cuts to defence budgets that are causing concern. It's what that defence budget is being spent on. Take Belgium.<br /><br />Read more:<br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-31503859">http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-31503859</a># <div class="pta-link-card answers-template-image type-default"> <div class="pta-link-card-picture"> <img src="https://d26horl2n8pviu.cloudfront.net/link_data_pictures/images/000/009/105/qrc/_81057930_natoprotests_getty.jpg?1443033964"> </div> <div class="pta-link-card-content"> <p class="pta-link-card-title"> <a target="blank" href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-31503859#">How strong is the Nato military alliance? - BBC News</a> </p> <p class="pta-link-card-description">As the Baltic states look on uneasily at Ukraine’s latest fragile ceasefire, what has the conflict revealed about the West’s military alliance Nato?</p> </div> <div class="clearfix"></div> </div> SSG Norman Lihou Tue, 17 Feb 2015 22:32:22 -0500 2015-02-17T22:32:22-05:00 2015-02-17T22:32:22-05:00