There’s no shortage of measures that the United States’ major East Asian friends could spend an increased defence budget on. NATO allies of the US have agreed to allocate 5 percent of GDP to defence and related spending. With the growing risk of simultaneous contingencies in the Taiwan Strait and on the Korean Peninsula, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan must also consider what credible deterrence really costs. Spending at 5 percent of GDP, as demanded by US President Donald Trump, could fund vital capabilities in East Asia that would reduce overdependence on US forces, such as missile defence, precision strike and infrastructure resilience.
Taiwan, South Korea and Japan also need to spend 5 percent on defence | The Strategist
