Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on June 26, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
Turkey backs NATO's 5% GDP defence goal by 2035 and plans a national air shield, already exceeding previous spending targets.
ANKARA (Reuters) -Turkey supports NATO's decision to more than double its defence spending target to 5% of GDP by 2035 and is already exceeding the previous 2% benchmark, a Turkish defence ministry source said on Thursday.
NATO allies on Wednesday agreed to raise their collective spending goal to 5% of gross domestic product over the next decade, citing the long-term threat posed by Russia and the need to strengthen civil and military resilience.
“Turkey is above the 2% target criterion under the Defence Spending Pledge,” the source said. “As NATO’s second-largest army, Turkey is among the top five contributors to the alliance’s operations and missions.”
The source said Turkey had fulfilled all its NATO capability targets and was continuing to invest in defence industry development and research. It plans to expand a layered air defence network across the country, centred around its national "Steel Dome" project.
“We are investing in air defence systems, hypersonic, ballistic and cruise missile capabilities, unmanned land, sea and air systems, as well as next-generation aircraft carriers, frigates, and tanks,” the source said.
The new NATO target includes at least 3.5% of GDP for core defence spending, with the remainder to be spent on security-related infrastructure to improve civil preparedness and resilience.
(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Writing by Ece Toksabay; Editing by Daren Butler and Alison Williams)
Turkey is already exceeding NATO's previous benchmark of 2% of GDP and supports the new target of 5% by 2035.
Turkey is investing in air defense systems, hypersonic, ballistic and cruise missile capabilities, as well as unmanned systems and next-generation military vessels.
NATO allies have agreed to raise their collective spending goal to 5% of GDP, with at least 3.5% allocated for core defense spending.
As NATO's second-largest army, Turkey is among the top five contributors to the alliance's operations and has fulfilled all its NATO capability targets.
The new framework aims to enhance civil preparedness and resilience alongside core defense spending, addressing long-term threats such as those posed by Russia.
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