Aw, Phooey! NATO's Wild Goose Chase for 5% Defense Dough!

Hot Dog! Five Percent?!

Aw gee whiz! Your pal Donald here reporting live from the duck pond... I mean the news desk! Seems like NATO that fancy club for countries has decided they need to spend a whole lotta clams on defense! They're aiming for a whopping 5% of their GDP by 2035. Five percent?! That's more than I spend on sailor suits! But don't worry I'm sure it's all gonna be 'hunky dory,' right?

A Quacking Good Plan... Or Is It?

So here's the deal. 3.5% goes to the usual bang bang stuff you know the 'pure' defense. But get this another 1.5% is for fancy cyber stuff and spying! Sounds like something Gyro Gearloose cooked up in his lab! But like will all the countries play along? Washington D.C. is really on everyone's case to step it up!

A Tall Order Even for a Duck!

Now here's where it gets tricky. Some countries are barely making the current 2% target they agreed to back in 2014! 2% sounds like a small number to me but *deep breath* what do I know? You can look at the chart and see the target is not going to be so easy or so I have heard.

Trumpet Troubles!

Remember when ol' Donald Trump was quacking about NATO spending? He wanted everyone to DOUBLE their spending. Well even now there are arguments because this is tough stuff I am told.

Spain and Italy: 'Oh Yeah? Prove It!'

Spain's saying "Hey we're good with 2.1%! No need to go overboard!" And Italy? Well their defense minister is questioning if NATO even matters anymore! I tell you it can get confusing. These two countries are gonna be difficult. Meanwhile Canada is promising to meet its 2% target by 2026... but it will take time.

Poland and Estonia: The Eager Beavers... Er Ducks!

But hold on not everyone's dragging their feet! Poland and Estonia those fellas are already on track to hit 5%! Maybe they know something the rest of us don't? Perhaps they got a tip from Ludwig Von Drake? Regardless I better be prepared!