U.S. to ramp up defense spending, says Pentagon chief

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday he wanted to raise overall U.S. defense spending, adding that it should not drop below 3 percent of gross domestic product, local media reported.

Hegseth made the comment while speaking to reporters in Stuttgart, Germany, home to the headquarters of the U.S. Africa Command.

"I think the U.S. needs to spend more than the Biden administration was willing to, who historically underinvested in the capabilities of our military," Hegseth said.

He also urged North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries to increase their defense spending to 5 percent of GDP, more than double the current target, saying it was a "reflection of a need to invest on the continent."

"The European continent deserves to be free from any aggression, but it ought (to) be those in the neighborhood investing the most" in its defense, he said.

However, few in Europe see this figure as feasible. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has insisted that he is committed to NATO spending, but he says Donald Trump's demands are too high. For Germany, five percent would be over €200 billion ($204 billion) per year, while its federal budget is not even €500 billion.

Hegseth also reiterated that Trump had promised to deliver "a rapid peace deal in Ukraine." When asked whether the U.S. would be willing to send its armed forces to Ukraine, he responded, "We're not sending U.S. troops to Ukraine."

In December 2024, the U.S. Senate passed the $895 billion National Defense Authorization Act for the fiscal year 2025. Military spending approved in the bill represented a one percent increase from the previous year.

The World Bank, citing data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, said the U.S. spent about 3.4 percent of GDP on defense in 2023.

(With input from Xinhua)