Laggards.

This is coolbert:

It is not only Donald Trump and the rest of the chattering class that finds criticism with the various constituent members of NATO.

American elected representatives have too!

"Senators Slam NATO ‘Free-Riders’ in Closed-Door Meeting With Secretary General"

"Donald Trump has spent much of his campaign deriding NATO allies for “ripping off” the American taxpayer and failing to contribute to the world’s most powerful military alliance. But on Wednesday, his fellow Republicans joined the chorus during a closed-door meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg"

"For under an hour, senators grilled Stoltenberg, a former prime minister of Norway, about why only five members of the 28-nation club [NATO] spend at least 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense, the official amount NATO recommends each nation set aside. Some expressed particular dissatisfaction with Germany, the fourth largest economy in the world, which does not meet the 2 percent threshold."

European nations members of NATO for some time having scaled back their military forces, ended conscription, those budget demands for the generous welfare state too important to the politician of whatever electorate.

Don't expect change for the better soon if ever. Austerity rules and that means LESS!

coolbert.