Since becoming a NATO member in 2017, Montenegro has allocated almost 653 million euros to defense, and an additional 161,42 million is planned this year. From the first year of membership to the present, military spending has increased almost threefold, while the average annual growth is almost 14 percent.
This follows from the Ministry of Defense's response to a question from "Vijesti" - how much has been invested in the defense system since the beginning of membership in the Alliance.
The government department stated that 2017 million euros were allocated in 57,94, 2018 in 64,39, 2019 in 66,01, 2020 in 72,50, 2021 in 77,46, 2022 in 81,63, 2023 million in 105,77, and 2024 million in 127,23.
"Vijesti" announced at the end of May that the Government should increase defense spending to three percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2026, from the current two percent.
According to the Government's Macroeconomic and Fiscal Policy Guidelines for the period 2024 - 2027, GDP for 2026 is estimated at around 8,2 billion euros, which means that defense spending would amount to around 246 million euros.
Last year, with around 150 million euros in total allocations for the defense system, Montenegro symbolically crossed the threshold of a minimum of two percent of GDP spent on that sector, which is what NATO has so far defined for its members.
At the end of May, when asked by "Vijesti" whether it was true that defense spending would be increased to three percent of GDP, the Ministry of Defense said that the draft budget for 2026 was still pending and that it would be an opportunity for more precise projections when it comes to spending on defense.
"In addition, at the Summit in The Hague (in June) it is certain that the leaders of NATO member states will adopt a new defense spending plan, which will substantially increase the current criterion of 'minimum two percent of GDP'. Accordingly, we emphasize that the Ministry of Defense will continuously work on the implementation of the very demanding NATO agenda, in which the main priority is precisely increased defense spending, as a prerequisite for fulfilling all other tasks," said the department headed by Dragan Krapović (Democrats).
President of the United States of America (USA) Donald tramp At the beginning of the year, immediately after he was elected, he stated that NATO member states should allocate five percent of GDP to defense, which is much more than the current target of two percent and an amount that no member allocates.
As reported by the media at the time, officials from NATO countries said they agreed that defense spending should continue to grow, but did not support the five percent figure, which analysts say is politically and economically impossible for almost all members.
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Lajen In March, it presented a five-step plan for rearming Europe, worth over €800 billion. All 27 EU members agreed on a list of priorities for action at EU level in the field of developing defence capabilities, identifying air and missile defence, artillery systems, missiles and ammunition, drones and anti-drone systems, strategic capabilities, military mobility, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and electronic warfare.
“Montenegro is no exception”
Secretary General of NATO Mark Rutte announced on June 5 that NATO ministers had agreed on “ambitious new military capability goals,” stressing that allies “must invest in the coming years… to keep our defense and deterrence strong and our billion citizens safe.”
"I will propose a comprehensive investment plan that will total five percent of GDP for defense investments - 3,5 percent of GDP for core defense spending and 1,5 percent of GDP per year for investments in security and defense, such as infrastructure and industry," Rutte said at a press conference after a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels.
However, he added that “agreement on what we need was a crucial first step towards meeting those needs,” while decisions on funding would follow at a summit in The Hague later this month. Rutte, as reported by Reuters, said that “the summit declaration will focus on defense spending, defense industry production and support for Ukraine, but the allies are still in talks and the final version has not yet been agreed.”
On June 6, at a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels, Krapović announced that all members of that military-political alliance fully agree that it is necessary to significantly increase defense spending, and that "Montenegro was no exception in that regard."
He said that a new package of goals and capabilities has been adopted, "very demanding and ambitious, which is directly related to what future defense spending is."
"What I said is that Montenegro will adapt and continue to maintain credible membership through respect and implementation of all decisions made at the summit. It is clear that there will be a significantly larger amount of money allocated for defense needs in all member states, including Montenegro," said Krapović.
"Today we discussed in several sessions... The first session was dedicated to the transformation of the Alliance and the ambitious agenda that the Alliance has in response to the newly emerging geopolitical circumstances, and in that direction we discussed, first of all, the further strengthening of the deterrence and defense position of the Alliance itself, of course the military part and the military leadership of the Alliance in a way revealed to us what still needs to be done, what remains in order to achieve the full effect of the deterrence and defense plans," he added.
Krapović stated that in addition to the efforts of the Ministry of Defense to implement the increase in allocations and fully fulfill the package, "we need to have an approach from the entire Government, especially the Ministry of Finance, without which these goals cannot be met."
"Overall, I am satisfied with today's day and the discussion, and I believe that we are heading towards a successful summit in The Hague, which will of course strengthen the Alliance's position and share the burden in a fairer way, because our American allies are right when it comes to the issue of European defense, and I think that Europe itself will allocate more for defense in the coming period," the minister said.
NATO "membership fee" 8,54 million
When asked by "Vijesti" how much Montenegro's "membership fee" in NATO has been since 2017, the Ministry of Defense responded that it amounted to 8,54 million euros.
They explain that what is called "membership fee" is actually the participation of member states in the common NATO budget.
"Montenegro participates in the NATO common budget with approximately 0,028 percent, according to a standardized formula at the Alliance level, which is periodically revised in accordance with needs. The NATO common budget consists of three parts: the military budget, the NATO Security Investment Program (NSIP) and the NATO civilian budget," they said.
They state that the first two segments are financed from the budget of the Ministry of Defense, and the third (civilian) from the budget of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They announced that in 2017 this figure was 240.376 euros, in 2018 - 344.168, in 2019 - 674.523, in 2020 - 880.232, in 2021 - 1.538.138, in 2022 - 1.211.637, in 2023 - 938.746, in 2024 - 1.257.949, and this year 1.456.000 euros.
Budget increase the main measure of credibility
The Ministry of Defense says that they are "fully aware of the fact" that increasing the defense budget is a criterion that will represent the main measure of the credibility of each member state of the Alliance.
"Recognizing the above, as well as our unequivocal foreign policy commitment, we are convinced that the Government of Montenegro, with the indispensable role of the Ministry of Finance, will take into account the importance of the increased defense budget when drafting the entire state budget for the coming year, all in accordance with the decision that will be made at the Summit in The Hague," the Ministry stated.
Last year, they added, 30,41 percent of the budget was spent for this purpose, and they expect that this year that percentage will be around 34 percent of the budget, the largest part of which will be intended for the implementation of NATO capability goals assigned to Montenegro.
Two more years without control of the skies from Bjelasica
The long-range surveillance radar, which was supposed to be installed on Bjelasica by the end of 2024, will not be operational for at least another two years, because the Broadcasting Center's telecommunications equipment must first be relocated from that mountain.
"Vijesti" was told this by the Ministry of Defense, answering questions about why the radar, which was provided to Montenegro by NATO, is not yet operational, what stage its installation is in, and how much its modernization costs.
That government department responded that the government had provided 6,8 million euros through the capital budget for the construction of the radar position.
This project is behind schedule compared to the previously planned dynamics, because Montenegro has undertaken an obligation to its NATO partners to install and activate the radar on Bjelasica by October 2024 at the latest.
In 2019, Montenegro received a second-hand 3D surveillance radar of the "HR 3000" type from NATO for use, which creates opportunities to continuously observe and monitor airspace and ensure the exchange of radar images in the NATO defense system.
The Ministry explains that the radar is not operational because the conditions for the construction of a radar position on Bjelasica have not been created.
"The Government of Montenegro has reached a conclusion to relocate the telecommunications equipment of the Broadcasting Center from the location on Mount Bjelasica. Activities are underway to relocate this equipment to another, more appropriate location," they stated.
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