According to a recent analysis by the Milex Observatory on Italian military spending, Italy's eventual adherence to the NATO target of allocating 5% of GDP to defense would result in a decidedly significant increase in public spending. Compared to the current level of 2%, with ordinary nominal growth, cumulative spending over the next decade would rise from just over €500 billion to about €1 trillion. The difference between the two scenarios is thus more than €400 billion over ten years, an average annual increase of about €40 billion. However, Milex also considers an intermediate scenario: that of 4% of GDP by 2035, a proposal already anticipated by PM Giorgia Meloni and Defense Minister Guido Crosetto ahead of the NATO summit in The Hague. In this case, military spending would still grow substantially, but with a 10-year increase of about €300 billion, or €30 billion more each year than the current trend. This would mean a shift from current annual spending to about €116 billion in 2035, an increase of about €70 billion over today's levels.