NATO countries to spend over $1T for defense in 2019

By Gokhan Ergocun

ISTANBUL (AA) - NATO is estimating that this year its member countries' total defense expenditures will reach $1.04 trillion.

Over the last seven years -- 2012 to 2018 -- the alliance’s 29 member countries spent a total of around $6.6 trillion, according to a NATO report released Tuesday.

Last year the member countries' defense expenses totaled $970.3 billion, the report highlighted.

In 2019, the U.S. made the largest single-country expenditures -- $730 billion -- followed by Britain ($60.4 billion), Germany ($54.1 billion), France ($50.7 billion), and Canada ($21.9 billion), the report said.

Turkey's defense expenditures, which were $14.1 billion last year, will reach $13.9 billion in the current year, the report forecasted.

NATO estimated that its member countries would spend 2.51% of their GDP in 2019 for defense.

The organization's member countries have a total of 3.26 million military personnel, including 41% of them in the U.S., 13% in Turkey, and 6.4% in France.

Defense expenditures included personnel, equipment, research and development, and infrastructure expenses, according to NATO.