“What we committed to do we have done,” said Defense Minister Guido Crosetto, commenting on the achievement of the 2% of GDP target for military spending. “We have achieved it and it is already an important thing,” he added. According to the minister, however, this milestone is only the beginning of a path: “Our goal is not a number, but to acquire the capabilities that NATO asks of us and to guarantee the country's security”. Crosetto then recalled how Italy is coming from “a very long period when resources were not enough” and that it will take years to close the accumulated deficit: "It is not enough to reach 2% to be okay. We have to recover all the percentages of GDP that have not been invested in the last 30 years, those that the Americans hold against us and that are missing to have the Defense we would like".