ROME — Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told parliament on June 11 that Italy will raise its official defence and security spending to about 2.8% of GDP in 2026, but urged NATO allies to shift focus from headline budgets to new kinds of warfare driven by drones, satellites and data.
Meloni said the increase, about 0.71 percentage points, largely reflects domestic security items now included under NATO accounting, including some police duties. She warned, however, that the conflict in Ukraine shows modern military strength cannot be judged only by traditional platforms or spending totals.
Pointing to the battlefield there, Meloni noted how inexpensive drones can neutralize costly tanks and argued allies should weigh the strategic value of assets such as satellites alongside tanks or aircraft carriers. She also flagged the growing importance of data defense and raised concerns about states training young people familiar with video games to remotely operate drones in future conflicts.
Her remarks come amid wider debates over defence budgets in Europe. U.S. President Donald Trump has pushed allies to raise spending to 3.5% of GDP, while Britain’s defence minister resigned on June 11 amid a domestic row over military funding, a development Italy’s defence minister said he understood, noting similar pressures on defence leaders across Europe.