Objectives:
The aim of this article was to analyze national defense spending in NATO countries between 2014 and 2023, in accordance with the concepts of capitalism models drawn from the New Institutional Economics. National defense spending should also be assessed in the context of constraints imposed by fiscal rules in force in the EU and the overarching goal of state activity: stable, balanced, and sustainable economic growth.

Material and methods:
The data presented in the tables are our own analysis based on data provided by DG ECFIN (Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs of the European Commission) and OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development). The authors used the comparative analysis method.

Results:
The results showed that the patchwork model of capitalism characteristic of the 11 new EU member states replicates most of its negative features, primarily in terms of its low ability to anticipate challenges, as well as its lack of learning and self-correction (lack of institutional memory), in an area as crucial to the state as national defense.

Conclusions:
The institutional system in patchwork model countries is almost devoid of the ability to learn and self-correct unless there is external pressure forcing specific changes. The results presented in this study open up a discussion on the directions of national defense spending and fit into the broader context of research and the effectiveness of such spending.