Or the Trump administration will “moderate its commitment.”
Yuri Gripas/Reuters
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told NATO allies on Wednesday that they must increase defense spending by the end of 2017 or the U.S. will "moderate its commitment" to the organization. It isn't entirely clear what Mattis believes the Trump administration will do if NATO members do not boost spending, but he called the ultimatum a "fair demand" based on "political reality." He has asked for the governments to each meet a military funding goal of 2 percent of gross domestic product, the AP reports. "No longer can the American taxpayer carry a disproportionate share of the defense of Western values," Mattis said. "Americans cannot care more for your children's future security than you do."