INTERNACIONAL
Why NATO’s defense spending imbalance lasted for decades
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This is part five of a series examining the challenges confronting the NATO alliance.
For more than three decades, the U.S. carried the largest share of NATO’s military burden while many European allies spent far less on defense than Washington wanted.
The imbalance survived the Cold War, multiple U.S. administrations and repeated debates over burden sharing. Only in recent years — following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine and renewed pressure from President Donald Trump — have many NATO members begun significantly increasing defense spending.
So why did the gap persist for so long?
Defense analysts say the answer lies in a combination of post-Cold War optimism, domestic political priorities and an American defense umbrella that convinced much of Europe it could safely spend less on defense without sacrificing its security.
For more than three decades, the U.S. carried the largest share of NATO’s military burden while many European allies spent far less on defense than Washington wanted. (Handout / Latin America News Agency via Reuters Connect)
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«For much of the post–Cold War period, it is fair to say that Europeans underinvested in defense, partly because threats were low, and partly because a series of U.S. presidents did everything they could to convince Europeans that we would stay there forever,» Barry Posen, a professor of political science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, told Fox News Digital.
The collapse of the Soviet Union reinforced that mindset.
With the primary threat NATO had been created to deter suddenly gone, governments across Europe moved to collect a so-called «peace dividend,» redirecting resources toward domestic priorities and away from their militaries.
Between 1992 and 1999, defense spending among European NATO members fell 22%, helping establish a pattern of underinvestment that would persist for decades even as the United States maintained troops in Europe and continued serving as NATO’s ultimate security backstop.
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As defense spending declined, many European governments expanded or maintained social welfare systems that consumed a growing share of public budgets. Programs such as healthcare, pensions and higher education became deeply embedded in domestic politics, often making them harder to cut than military spending.
With the U.S. continuing to provide the bulk of NATO’s military power, many governments faced little immediate pressure to reverse course. Critics of the alliance’s spending imbalance argued that American taxpayers were effectively subsidizing Europe’s security, allowing allies to devote a larger share of public resources to domestic priorities.
The result was what some defense analysts describe as a «moral hazard» problem: because the U.S. commitment to NATO was viewed as ironclad, allies could spend less on their own militaries without facing the full consequences of those decisions.
«For much of the post–Cold War period, it is fair to say that Europeans underinvested in defense, partly because threats were low, and partly because a series of U.S. presidents did everything they could to convince Europeans that we would stay there forever,» Barry Posen, a professor of political science at MIT, told Fox News Digital. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic, File)
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Over time, that dynamic became self-reinforcing. As European militaries shrank, many allies grew increasingly dependent on American capabilities ranging from logistics and intelligence to missile defense, strategic airlift and nuclear deterrence.
«We are still having a strong, conventional U.S. presence in Europe,» NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said earlier in 2026, «and, of course, the nuclear umbrella as our ultimate guarantor.»
American frustration over burden sharing is nearly as old as NATO itself.
«We are still having a strong, conventional U.S. presence in Europe,» NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said earlier this year, «and, of course, the nuclear umbrella as our ultimate guarantor.» (Omar Havana/Getty Images)
In 1953, President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned European allies that «the American well can run dry» and pressed them to assume a larger share of the alliance’s defense burden. The issue resurfaced repeatedly over the following decades as successive administrations sought greater European contributions to collective defense.
The concern persisted long after the Cold War. In a blunt 2011 farewell speech in Brussels, then-War Secretary Robert Gates warned of a «dim if not dismal future» for NATO if European governments continued underinvesting in their militaries. Gates cautioned that there would be «dwindling appetite and patience» among American lawmakers and taxpayers to bear a disproportionate share of the alliance’s defense costs.
Yet despite decades of warnings, the underlying incentives changed little.
Washington repeatedly reaffirmed its commitment to NATO and maintained a large military presence on the continent, reducing pressure on allies to rapidly increase defense spending.
«Every administration has been pushing allies to spend more money on their own defense,» former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Europe and NATO Jim Townsend told Fox News Digital.
The issue gained renewed urgency after Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, when NATO established a benchmark for members to spend at least 2% of GDP on defense. While spending gradually increased, progress remained uneven across the alliance.
«Nations slowly began going to that. But it’s been slow,» Townsend said.
For years, burden-sharing disputes followed a familiar pattern: American officials urged allies to spend more, European leaders promised improvements and NATO continued to rely heavily on American military power. What finally broke that cycle, Townsend said, was the combination of Russia’s growing aggression and Trump’s willingness to challenge assumptions that had shaped the alliance for decades.
«What really woke everyone up were two things,» Townsend said. «One was the 2022 invasion by Putin the second time. And then the second was Trump.»
Unlike previous presidents, Trump openly questioned whether the United States should defend allies that failed to meet defense spending commitments. During his first term and again during his return to office, Trump argued that NATO members were taking advantage of American taxpayers and suggested U.S. protection should not be unconditional.
Whether European leaders viewed Trump’s approach as pressure, a warning or a negotiating tactic, it altered assumptions that had shaped the alliance since the end of the Cold War and accelerated a debate that had simmered for decades.
The shift culminated at NATO’s summit in The Hague, where allies agreed to a new goal of spending 5% of GDP on defense and defense-related investments by 2035. The agreement marked a dramatic leap from NATO’s long-standing 2% benchmark and reflected a growing consensus that the alliance faced a far more dangerous security environment than the one that emerged after the Soviet Union’s collapse.
The agreement also signaled that many allies had come to the same conclusion American presidents had voiced for decades: the post-Cold War era of reduced military spending was over.
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But analysts caution that rebuilding military power is far more complicated than increasing budgets.
Europe remains dependent on the U.S. for capabilities ranging from air defense and logistics to intelligence and defense industrial capacity, Townsend said. Even as governments commit more money to defense, translating those investments into military readiness will take years.
John Byrne of Concerned Veterans for America said the challenge extends beyond equipment and spending levels.
«They don’t have the experience,» Byrne told Fox News Digital, referring to the decades in which large multinational military commands were overwhelmingly led by American officers.
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Running large coalition military operations requires years of institutional knowledge and leadership experience, he said — something that cannot be rebuilt overnight.
«You can buy equipment,» Byrne said. «You can’t instantly buy command experience.»
nato, defense, alliances, spending, russia
INTERNACIONAL
Autoridades de salud aplican más de 150 mil dosis para prevenir casos de sarampión en Panamá
Panamá continúa libre de sarampión autóctono y los tres casos detectados hasta el momento corresponden a casos importados que fueron identificados y manejados oportunamente por el sistema nacional de vigilancia epidemiológica.
Para seguir manteniendo el país libre de la enfermedad el sistema de salud ha aplicado en lo que va del año más de 150 mil dosis de vacuna contra el sarampión en todo el territorio nacional.
El país recibió su certificación oficial de eliminación del sarampión en 2016 y no registra casos autóctonos desde 1995.
En el 2011 se controlaron cuatro casos importados procedentes de Polonia, sin que se produjera una transmisión comunitaria.
Actualmente se mantiene activa la vigilancia epidemiológica en los puertos de entrada al país ante el retorno de viajeros procedentes del extranjero, permitiendo la detección temprana de personas con síntomas compatibles con enfermedades transmisibles.
El incremento en la cobertura de vacunación, a través del Programa Ampliado de Inmunización (PAI), responde al compromiso de la población con la prevención y al fortalecimiento de las jornadas de inmunización desarrolladas por el Ministerio de Salud (Minsa) en todas las regiones de salud, aseguró Yelkys Gill, directora general de Salud Pública.
“Invitamos a toda la población a revisar su tarjeta de vacunación y acudir a la instalación de salud más cercana para completar su esquema. Las vacunas son seguras, gratuitas y constituyen la principal herramienta para prevenir enfermedades transmisibles”, manifestó Gill.
Adelantó que el esquema nacional de vacunación protege contra diversas enfermedades, entre ellas sarampión, influenza, neumococo y virus sincitial respiratorio, contribuyendo a reducir complicaciones y hospitalizaciones, especialmente en los grupos más vulnerables.
De los tres casos de sarampión importados, se detectó que una persona con esquema de vacunación expuesta al virus desarrolló un cuadro de «sarampión modificado“, una variante con síntomas leves y con una capacidad de transmisión drásticamente reducida.
Esta condición clínica se presenta en casos muy específicos como una exposición masiva al virus en personas que ya cuentan con sus dosis, explicó Catherine Castillo, técnica de vigilancia epidemiológica y enfermedades prevenibles por vacunas del Departamento Nacional de Epidemiología del Minsa.
A diferencia del sarampión clásico, el modificado se caracteriza por una carga viral mucho menor, menor fiebre y un sarpullido atenuado, evitando por completo complicaciones graves como la neumonía o afecciones cerebrales.
En cuanto a las enfermedades transmitidas por vectores, se informó que se continúa fortaleciendo las acciones de prevención y control contra la malaria, mediante la vigilancia epidemiológica, búsqueda activa de casos, diagnóstico oportuno y el trabajo conjunto con las comunidades.
“En malaria hemos logrado mantener una tendencia hacia la disminución gracias al esfuerzo de los equipos regionales de salud, que continúan realizando intervenciones, seguimiento de casos y acciones de prevención en las áreas de mayor riesgo”, señaló la directora general de Salud Pública.
De acuerdo con los reportes correspondientes a la última semana epidemiológica, el Ministerio de Salud informó que los casos de dengue registran una reducción cercana al 50 % en comparación con el mismo periodo del año anterior, mientras que la malaria mantiene una tendencia a la baja.
Las autoridades de salud reiteran el llamado a la población a mantener las medidas preventivas, acudir oportunamente a los servicios de salud ante la presencia de síntomas y mantener actualizado su esquema de vacunación para proteger su salud y la de sus familias.
La Organización Panamericana de la Salud (OPS) reveló que hasta la semana epidemiológica que finalizó el 13 de junio la región de las Américas notificó 22.324 casos confirmados de sarampión en 17 países y territorios, incluyendo 38 muertes, lo que representa un aumento del 207% en comparación con el mismo período del 2025.
sarampión,erupción,piel,niño,enfermedad,virus,salud,pediatría,síntomas,contagio
INTERNACIONAL
College sports sees pivotal moment as Senate looks to move legislation on NIL, transfers across goal line
Senate stepping in to regulate college sports
The Senate is actively preparing to debate a bipartisan bill that could significantly alter the landscape of intercollegiate sports. Lawmakers aim to create national standards for Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) money and curb roster chaos from transfers. Senators Cruz, Cantwell, Baldwin, and Booker discuss the necessity of federal intervention due to perceived failures of the NCAA.
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Congress could determine the future of college sports.
Thursday was a seminal day as to whether Congress can either salvage – or potentially ruin – intercollegiate athletics. It’s a congressional Hail Mary as senators address name, image and likeness (NIL) deals for athletes, compensation packages and transfers between schools.
«College sports is in crisis,» declared Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas.
«There’s a sense of urgency in that room you can feel it, right? You’ve got to do something rapidly,» said Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo.
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Senate lawmakers advanced a bipartisan college sports bill that would create national NIL standards and limit athlete transfers. The measure now heads toward a full Senate debate. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
The Commerce Committee approved a bipartisan gameplan to fundamentally alter college sports. The full Senate plans to debate the bill in July.
«We have put something on the table that’s going to bring more certainty and predictability to the system,» said Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., the top Democrat on the panel.
Establishing a nationwide payout framework is a key aspect of the deal. Lawmakers know that inaction could mean that monied, major programs will simply outbid smaller schools. Perhaps even for a future NFL MVP.
«I’m worried that we’ll never see a Josh Allen again at the University of Wyoming,» said Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., referring to the Buffalo Bills standout quarterback. «It leaves those of us who don’t really have a donor base [to struggle to] pay for players of that caliber.»
The bill also restricts athletes to one transfer between schools during a five-year period without a penalty.
«Now we have this unbelievable number of players that get in the (transfer) portal every year and we have nothing to control the agents,» said former Alabama head football coach Nick Saban to a Senate panel earlier this month.
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Lawmakers believe this plan will curb the constant roster chaos.
Advocates of the legislation believe it protects student-athletes.
«It definitely makes sure that predatory contracting done by agents or universities or conferences or shill organizations, don’t get students stuck in binding arbitration,» said Cantwell.
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., is the only former Division I college athlete in the Senate. He played tight end for Stanford’s football team. Booker opposes the bill.
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Congress is weighing major changes to college athletics, including athlete compensation, transfers and NIL regulations amid growing concerns about competitive imbalance. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)
«I’ve seen decade after decade, how the NCAA has screwed athletes. And so we need to make sure there’s firm athletic protections and not trust the NCAA to do it,» said Booker.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., is the only former Division I football head coach in the Senate. He led programs at Auburn, Ole Miss, Texas Tech and Cincinnati. He joins Booker in condemning the legislation.
«They’re trying to turn college sports into the same situation we got in with Obamacare,» said Tuberville on Fox News Radio. «We can’t get the federal government involved in college sports.»
During a floor speech, Tuberville argued that «Congress should not decide how much money student athletes can earn.»
Yet Tuberville conceded that «college sports is facing a five-alarm fire. It’s getting ready to be over with as we know it.»
That’s why Cruz believes Congress should intervene.
«If the alternative is do nothing and allow chaos to continue in college sports to be destroyed, I think that alternative is unacceptable,» said Cruz.
Congress struggles to do lots of things right. That’s why some observers doubt that Congress is a good substitute for the NCAA.
Matt Mackowiak is a former GOP Senate aide who’s written about Brendan Sorsby, his gambling scandal and the saga involving Texas Tech megabooster Cody Campbell. Big money lured Sorsby to the school for a hot minute. Mackowiak says the Cruz/Cantwell bill fails to prevent another Sorsby situation. But Mackowiak’s biggest concern is congressional willingness to undercut the NCAA.
«I don’t know why you need to create some new system and make it overly complicated. You have a governing body. They haven’t had a lot of teeth in their enforcement in recent years.»
Some of that is because super conferences like the Big Ten and SEC wield more power than the NCAA. Notably, neither of those conferences endorsed the Senate bill. But it was the NCAA which demanded congressional intervention. The NCAA has told lawmakers it can’t address NIL on its own and pushed for a national standard set by Capitol Hill.
But Booker isn’t enamored with the NCAA.
«The NCAA, which can’t be trusted, has shown decade after decade, (of) failing college athletes,» he said.
There’s concern the bill could undercut current sports broadcasters by diversifying the number of streamers and outlets carrying games. That could complicate viewing. Additional options aren’t necessarily good for fans if they struggle to find their games.
«Then the fans get hurt because all the content is behind a paywall,» said Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.
«I suspect everyone in this room has heard about frustrations from their constituents in trying to watch their favorite professional sports teams play. They are met with blackouts and paywalls,» said Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis.
The House of Representatives stumbled in two previous efforts to regulate college sports. The House Republican leadership had to yank completely different college sports regulation bills off the floor in December and this spring because they lacked the votes. So, now it’s the Senate’s turn to try.
There are lots of questions about whether the Senate, like the House, can command the votes for this bill. Moreover, what bandwidth does the Senate even have for serious legislating in July? The Senate is trying to figure out what’s next about the nomination of Jay Clayton to serve as director of national intelligence. The future of FISA Section 702 – the nation’s top program to fight terrorism – is up in the air after authorization expired a few weeks ago. And some Republicans are optimistic the Senate can advance a third «reconciliation package» to pay for the war in Iran, cut taxes and reduce fraud.
It would seem that those priorities might outweigh something on college sports.
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A Senate panel approved legislation supporters say would bring stability to college sports as critics warn it expands federal involvement. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
But as Cruz and Tuberville both say, the situation in college sports is dire. There’s worry that the SEC and/or Big Ten might form a mega conference. Or develop their own broadcast platforms for games. And there may be a lot more Brendan Sorsbys as gaming becomes more ubiquitous.
None of this is going to get any better.
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The future of college sports is on the line.
So, to fix it, the Senate might just give it the old college try.
ncaa, congress, sec, ncaa fb, senate elections
Concebido como un espacio seguro para el diálogo, la formación y el compromiso de avanzar hacia una sociedad más consciente, responsable y cercana a quienes han sufrido abuso, Panamá será sede, del 8 al 11 de julio, del congreso internacional de las personas sordas.
En el país hay 11,323 personas con deficiencia auditiva, según la Segunda Encuesta Nacional de Discapacidad, realizada en el primer trimestre de 2024, después de 18 años sin tener información actualizada.
Solo en 2025 el Instituto Panameño de Habilitación Especial (IPHE) atendió a 18,319 estudiantes con esta condición.
La discapacidad auditiva se define como la pérdida o anormalidad de la función anatómica y/o fisiológica del sistema auditivo, y tiene su consecuencia inmediata en una discapacidad para oír, lo que implica un déficit en el acceso al lenguaje oral.
Se informó que el congreso busca ofrecer un espacio de escucha y reflexión sobre la realidad que viven las personas sordas víctimas de abuso.
De igual manera, tiene como finalidad fortalecer la formación en materia de prevención, protección de menores y adultos vulnerables, y promoción de entornos seguros dentro de nuestras comunidades eclesiales, dijo monseñor José Domingo Ulloa Mendieta, arzobispo de Panamá, presidente de la Conferencia Episcopal Panameña y segundo vicepresidente del CELAM.
La convención reunirá a especialistas internacionales, agentes pastorales y personas sordas de diversos países de América, con el propósito de sensibilizar sobre los desafíos particulares que enfrenta esta población y promover una cultura de cuidado, respeto, inclusión y protección.
El “Abuso sexual en la Iglesia: su historia y realidad actual. Como se relaciona y afecta a la comunidad sorda”; “El caso Próvolo: ejemplo de modelo interdisciplinario para responder al desafío del abuso en la comunidad sorda en Argentina”; “Perspectiva global: cómo la Iglesia comenzó a escuchar las voces de quienes han sido abusados”, serán algunos de los temas a tratar durante la actividad.
El encuentro es organizado por la Iniciativa de los Jóvenes Católicos Sordos de América (DCYIA, por sus sus siglas en inglés), en colaboración con la Pontificia Comisión para la Protección del Menor, de la Santa Sede; el Centro de Investigación y Formación Interdisciplinar para la Protección del Menor, el Consejo Episcopal Latinoamericano y Caribeño (CELAM) y la Arquidiócesis de Panamá.
En Panamá la Ley N°1 del 28 de enero de 1992 protege a las personas con discapacidad auditiva y reconoce la lengua de señas como la lengua natural del discapacitado auditivo profundo.
Esta es una herramienta fundamental de inclusión, y la norma reafirma la importancia de promover una cultura institucional basada en el respeto, la accesibilidad y la equiparación de oportunidades.
Ratificada por Panama, la Convención Internacional sobre los Derechos de las Personas con Discapacidad establece en su artículo 21 el derecho a la libertad de expresión y acceso a la información, incluyendo el uso de la lengua de señas como medio de comunicación.
En esa línea, la política nacional de discapacidad de Panamá promueve la eliminación de barreras comunicativas y la plena participación de las personas sordas en todos los ámbitos de la sociedad, de acuerdo con el IPHE.
La Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) indica que a nivel mundial más de 1.500 millones de personas presentan algún grado de pérdida auditiva, de las cuales aproximadamente 430 millones tienen pérdida auditiva de moderada a grave en el oído con mejor audición.
En América, alrededor de 217 millones de personas viven con pérdida auditiva, cifra que se espera aumente a 322 millones para 2050. Las estimaciones de la OMS proyectan que 700 millones necesitarán atención otológica y servicios de rehabilitación si no se toman medidas preventivas.
hombre,mujer,niña,audífono,familia,discapacidad auditiva
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