The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff warned NATO allies on Tuesday that they cannot become “complacent” as the alliance continues to prevent the outbreak of a major war.
NATO’s mandate to prevent a major conflict, like it did during the Cold War, remains as important today as it was previously, Army Gen. Mark Milley said during a NATO meeting in Brussels. It was his first NATO military committee meeting since taking over as chairman on Sept. 30.
“Sometimes, people can become complacent and assume that peace is the state of nature,” Milley said. “Peace doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because of effort, resources, commitment, allies banding together … to maintain a strong cohesive alliance.”
The Trump administration has pushed NATO allies to increase military spending, but many still contribute less than the guideline of 2% of GDP. Last year, 19 of NATO’s 29 members did not meet the guideline, according to estimates from the alliance. This number includes several larger countries like France, Germany, Spain, and Canada. Most members, however, have increased spending since 2014.
In Germany’s case, defense spending is expected to fall in the coming years, with the country meeting only a 1.5% target by 2024, despite previously committing to meeting the 2% guideline.
In his Tuesday remarks, Milley also warned that Russia seeks to divide and destroy the alliance.
“That would be to their advantage,” Milley said. “It’s to the disadvantage of Europe and the United States if NATO would just collapse and fall apart.”
He pointed to the two world wars, which led to the deaths of between 145 million and 155 million people, as examples of how deadly conflicts between great powers can be.
“NATO was put in place, and the structures of the international order were put in place, at the end of World War II to prevent a great power war,” Milley said. “They weren’t put in place to prevent terrorism. They weren’t put in place to prevent Vietnam or Korea. They were put in place [to prevent] that great power war.”
