More than 20 of NATO’s 32 members will spend at least 2% of their GDP on the military by the end of 2024, a sharp increase from 2014 when only the U.S., Great Britain and Greece hit that benchmark, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday.

Mr. Stoltenberg was at the Wilson Center think tank in Washington ahead of next month’s NATO summit, which will mark the 75th anniversary of the alliance.

Defense spending by NATO members has become a hotly-debated topic, particularly since former President Donald Trump — the presumptive GOP nominee in this year’s presidential election — accused European countries of expecting a free ride on the back of the U.S. military.

Mr. Stoltenberg said increased defense spending by NATO allies benefits the U.S. because more than two-thirds of their contracts are with American companies.

“This is good for Europe and good for America. Much of this extra money is spent here in the United States,” he said.

The NATO chief said he would release the complete numbers of the increased defense spending following a meeting later Monday with President Biden. Despite the secretary-general’s optimistic spin, some of NATO’s biggest powers — including Germany, France, Spain and Italy — are currently below the 2% target.

European defense spending increased sharply following Russia’s full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February 2022.

“Allies are really delivering on their pledge to invest more,” Mr. Stoltenberg said. “Those allies that are not yet at 2% have plans to be there relatively soon.”

• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.