BRUSSELS (AP) 鈥� U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth lashed out at NATO allies on Thursday, announcing a six-month Pentagon review of American forces in Europe whose outcome will depend on how fast the Europeans for their own security.
鈥淭his will be a real review. It will be designed to ensure that NATO is moving fast and irreversibly toward Europe leading, stepping up to take primary responsibility for the defense of Europe,鈥� he told his NATO counterparts in Brussels.
Hegseth lambasted European allies for failing to provide U.S. forces access to to launch attacks on Iran, calling it 鈥渟hameful.鈥�
鈥淭hese allies, they put America鈥檚 sons and daughters, our sons and daughters, at risk by denying them the predictable access, basing and overflight that never should have been in question at all,鈥� he said.
Taking the microphone at the top of the meeting, Hegseth also railed against migration and gender equality policies in Europe, in remarks reminiscent to those of in February last year that angered many Europeans.
鈥淚nstead of tanks and fighters and air defenses, the focus has been on gender equity and climate change and defense austerity. Europe鈥檚 borders flew wide open, welfare states expanded, defense budgets cratered. Along with Europe鈥檚 belief in itself and its civilization,鈥� Hegseth said.
Hegseth’s comments largely mischaracterized European policies today. On defense, European allies and Canada have launched an unprecedented effort to boost defense spending and expand their armed forces. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte noted on Thursday that they spent $90 billion more on defense last year, a 20% increase over 2024. And while Europe accepted large numbers of migrants and asylum seekers more than a decade ago, most countries have tightened their borders since.
The Trump administration now wants a reboot of the 32-nation organization to turn it into a 鈥淣ATO 3.0鈥� capable of deterring any threat, Hegseth said.
Hegseth’s remarks came a few weeks after the United States told its allies that it would no longer supply certain warships and aircraft if one of them comes under attack. European allies and Canada are trying to work out how to plug the gaps.
NATO鈥檚 supreme allied commander, an American, is working on to defend Europe after the U.S. signaled on June 3 that it would no longer supply an aircraft carrier and support ships, aerial refueling planes and dozens of fighter jets, among other military assets, in a crisis.
The Trump administration insists that it needs to be able to plan for two simultaneous conflicts and wants more military resources at hand should a conflict break out with China in the Indo-Pacific region.
Under NATO鈥檚 collective security guarantee 鈥� of its founding treaty 鈥� the 32 allies pledge that an attack on one of them will be considered an attack on all. It does not oblige them to provide military support, although many likely would.
In essence, the United States is scaling back how it might help should an ally trigger Article 5. The U.S. has by far NATO鈥檚 biggest armed forces. It does not intend to withdraw its nuclear weapons in Europe, which are key to NATO鈥檚 deterrence.
To underscore that point, NATO鈥檚 Nuclear Planning Group issued its first statement in 19 years after it had assembled at Thursday鈥檚 meeting.
In the statement, it 鈥渞ecalled that the strategic nuclear forces of the Alliance remain the supreme guarantee of Allied security and underpin NATO鈥檚 extended deterrence architecture.鈥�
The ministers 鈥渁greed to continue enhancing NATO鈥檚 nuclear deterrence mission by modernizing NATO鈥檚 nuclear capabilities, strengthening its nuclear planning capacity, and adapting to achieve its security interests.鈥�
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