NATO defense ministers are set Thursday to approve purchasing targets for stocking up on weapons and military equipment to better defend Europe, the Arctic and the North Atlantic, as part of a U.S. push to ramp up security spending.

Some creative counting proposed by NATO head Mark Rutte could soften the financial blow.NATO defense ministers meeting in Brussels on Thursday showed "broad support" for signing off a historic hike in defense spending at a crunch summit later this month.

NATO countries are using creative math to meet the U.S. president’s demand to more than double annual spending, partly by expanding what counts beyond soldiers and weapons.