Belgium, home of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato), is almost at the bottom of the table of members states when it comes to defence spending, according to the latest estimates from Nato itself.
The figures presented, which include estimates for 2019 and 2020, cover “payments by a national government actually made, or to be made, during the course of the fiscal year to meet the needs of its armed forces, those of Allies or of the Alliance But those figures have to be placed in the context of the historical international policy of the US, which has the effect for instance of US military being permanently stationed in bases across Europe – a policy dating back to the end of World War Two which is not followed by any other of Nato’s member states.
