Italy pledges to raise defence spending to 5% of GDP by 2035 and focus on domestic industry

Italy confirmed it will meet its NATO‑mandated target of allocating 5 % of gross domestic product to defence and security by 2035. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said the increase will be funded through investments in Italian firms such as Leonardo, Fincantieri and other smaller specialists, and that Italy will decide independently which weapons systems to buy, rejecting any U.S. “diktat”.

At the NATO summit in Ankara, member states agreed to boost defence budgets, with contracts worth more than €50 billion and €27 billion earmarked for strengthening supply‑chain capabilities. NATO Secretary‑General Mark Rutte announced joint procurement of manned and unmanned aircraft. Italy’s commitments were echoed in Tajani’s upcoming participation in a Paris summit on a European anti‑ballistic‑missile coalition and in talks on Lebanon and the Strait of Hormuz.

The policy signals Italy’s intent to combine higher military spending with support for its domestic defence industry while maintaining a strategic stance within the Alliance.