SINGAPORE – Governments in Western Europe understand the argument that the Trump administration makes for increased defence spending, but the fact is that electors have not, said Italy’s Defence Minister Guido Crosetto.
The ongoing global energy crisis has made justifying military spending over pressing social needs even more politically untenable, he told The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao on May 30, on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD), a defence and security forum.
“The crisis deriving from the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz makes defence spending difficult to justify to the public, when the economy is having its own problems,” said the minister, who said that the point was made in an earlier ministerial roundtable lunch at which the United States’ secretary of war Pete Hegseth was present.
Mr Crosetto also put forth the argument that there is a “huge difference” in how people feel about such expenditure, depending on whether they live in societies bordering Russia or China. “The farther you get from some countries, the more difficult it becomes to explain these concepts to the public.”
Earlier in the day, Mr Hegseth essentially cast Western European countries as recalcitrant hold-outs that have not moved as fast to ramp up defence spending, while praising Asian allies and partners for being “reliable counterweights in the face of regional threats”.
“For those who believe they can continue to free ride on the generosity of the American taxpayer, hear us now: those days are over,” he warned in his address at the forum.
Italy is one of Europe’s laggards in defence spending, having met NATO’s baseline target of 2 per cent of GDP for the first time only in 2025. The alliance has further hiked this target to 5 per cent.
Local media have reported that Mr Crosetto, a stalwart advocate for increased defence spending at home, is duelling with Prime Minister Georgia Meloni – who faces a general election due next year – over the matter.
Asked about this, he said: “Prime Minister Meloni is not just discussing this, she understands very well the importance of investing in defence. But there are rules in Europe that prevent you from investing, even if you want to invest.”
This was in reference to the European Union’s fiscal rules that limit budget deficits at 3 per cent of GDP. Italy’s deficit reached 3.1 per cent of GDP last year.
But, he added, “the trend of defence expenditure for Italy will be such that it will respect the commitments and the pledges it has taken with respect to EU and NATO”.
