Pentagon urges Latin American countries to raise defense budgets

WORLD / Politics

Pentagon urges Latin American countries to raise defense budgets

Latin American countries often spend roughly 1.2% to 1.3% of GDP on defense, according to a senior U.S. Defense Department official. | BLOOMBERG

BLOOMBERG

Jul 9, 2026

The U.S. Department of Defense is pressuring Latin American nations to increase security spending to fight organized crime.

A U.S. delegation at a biennial conference of defense ministers from across the Americas hosted this week in Peru asked nations to increase defense budgets to close to 3.5% of gross domestic product as seen in other parts of the world.

“It is critical that you invest more in your own defense,” said Defense Undersecretary Elbridge Colby, particularly urging countries facing “narco-terrorist” threats. Some nations spend less than 1% of GDP on defense, he said. “This violates common sense.”