NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg headed for Washington on Monday for the first time since US President Donald Trump was elected, holding talks with senior officials about defeating the Islamic State group, his office said.

Stoltenberg will meet US Defence Secretary James Mattis on Tuesday, then meet foreign ministers from the US-led coalition working to defeat IS, his office said in a statement.

He will also hold a series of unspecified meetings during the visit beginning later Monday and ending Tuesday, it added.

During a visit to NATO headquarters in Brussels last month, US Vice President Mike Pence said Trump expects NATO allies to make real progress by the end of this year towards meeting the increased defence spending target agreed by the alliance.

The transatlantic alliance set a goal in 2014 of raising defence spending to two percent of GDP over a decade.

So far, of the 28 NATO members, only the United States, Britain, Poland, Greece and Estonia have met the two percent target.

Mattis delivered a similar message at a NATO defence ministers meeting a week earlier, saying Washington could "moderate" its commitment if allies fail to pay up.

Tweet

Philippines' Duterte says can't stop China developing shoal
Manila (AFP) March 19, 2017
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Sunday he could not stop China from building on a disputed shoal near his country's west coast because it was too powerful. The mayor of China's Sansha city has reportedly said his country would set up an environmental monitoring station on Scarborough Shoal, which China seized from the Philippines in 2012. "We cannot stop China from doing (these ... read more

Related Links
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only