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Summary for: 'No excuses': US ambassador to NATO slams Czech defense spendingThe United States has stepped up pressure on Czechia to increase defense spending, with Washington's ambassador to NATO warning in Prague Friday that the country is on track to rank among the alliance's weakest spenders.
Matthew Whitaker said he was disappointed that Czechia had not made greater progress toward meeting commitments agreed by NATO members at last year's summit in The Hague.
"Unfortunately, the Czech Republic is trending toward being one of the lowest spenders in the alliance," Whitaker said at the Prague Defence Summit, according to Reuters.
All Allies must pull their weight and honor The Hague Defense Commitment. These numbers are not arbitrary. They are about meeting the moment - and the moment requires 5% as the standard. No excuses, no opt-outs. @USEmbassyPrague pic.twitter.com/WLuF5q45Jl
— U.S. Ambassador to NATO (@USAmbNATO) March 12, 2026
He said he had delivered the same message directly to Czech officials during his visit, which included a meeting with Prime Minister Andrej Babiš.
The criticism comes as the Czech government plans defense spending equivalent to 2 percent of GDP next year, but has resisted substantially faster increases in subsequent years.
What has Czechia committed to?
NATO members agreed in The Hague in 2025 to work toward spending 5 percent of GDP annually on defense and security by 2035.
That figure consists of at least 3.5 percent for core military spending and up to another 1.5 percent for areas such as critical infrastructure, cybersecurity, civil preparedness and the defense industry.
Countries also agreed to submit annual plans demonstrating a credible path toward the target.
The Czech government's current trajectory has drawn criticism because it has yet to set out a path toward the 3.5-percent core defense target.
Tomio Okamura, chairman of coalition party SPD and the lower house of parliament, defended the government's approach Friday, saying it was prioritizing election promises to increase spending on Czech citizens.
"Our government wants to fulfill its election promises, so we are giving more money to Czech citizens, and we don't have the money for significant increases in arms spending," Okamura told Novinky.cz in response to Whitaker's comments.
Whitaker's comments were not his first public criticism of Prague over the issue. The U.S. envoy also raised concerns about Czech defense spending earlier this year.
His remarks come during the three-day Prague Defence Summit, where Prime Minister Babiš on Thursday proposed a joint European "Euro Patriot" missile defense system while also calling for greater efforts to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine.
