Featured Image Credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images
Topics: Donald Trump, Europe, Politics
Callum Jones
This is how NATO could replace the US in the military alliance after Donald Trump suggested that he's 'strongly considering' pulling the US out.
The alliance was formed shortly after World War II for security purposes, with the likes of the the UK, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Portugal coming together to form the group.
The US plays a crucial role in NATO due to the 15.8 percent it offers to the alliance's yearly expenditure of a whopping $3.5 billion.
On top of that, the US deploys between 80,000 to 100,000 soldiers across Europe, showing how vital the country's involvement is to NATO.
Advert
However, President Trump has never been convinced by the alliance and admitted in a recent interview that he's 'considering' leaving the group for good.
So, how could NATO replace the US within the alliance?
The Financial Times reports that it would take between five and ten years of increased spending from European nations to reach a level 'where they could replace most US competences'.
European nations are reportedly drawing up a plan in case Trump decides to pull the plug and it involves a managed transfer over a period as long as ten years, rather than the US just dropping out immediately.
Speaking of the plans, a source told the Financial Times: "Increasing spending is the only play that we have: burden sharing and shifting the dial away from US reliance.
"We’re starting those talks but it’s such a big task that many are overwhelmed by the scale of it."
It remains to be seen whether Trump's threat to leave the alliance will come to fruition, though the president's comments would have certainly sparked concerns amongst the head honchos over at NATO.
Trump was asked by the Telegraph if he had any plans to take US out of the bloc, to which he responded: "Oh yes, I would say [it’s] beyond reconsideration… I was never swayed by NATO. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and Putin knows that too, by the way."
The US and NATO relationship is certainly a complicated one after Trump joined forces with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a war in Iran.
Trump told fellow nations on Tuesday (March 31) that are struggling for fuel following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz to 'build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT'.
The shipping oil lane has been closed since the joint US-Israel attack, leading to energy shortages and prices rising worldwide.