Hegseth: US to assess troop presence in Europe within six months

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Thursday that the Pentagon will conduct an assessment of the U.S. troop presence in Europe over the next six months. The announcement came during a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels.

Hegseth stated that the assessment is "real" and that some countries are "passing it brilliantly, while others are failing." He expressed particular anger over restrictions imposed by European nations on U.S. forces during the Iran war, describing the situation as "shameful" and stating that these allies "put American boys and girls, our boys and daughters, in danger."

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Hegseth suggested that President Donald Trump had presented allies with a test during the Iran war to see if they would support the United States, a test many allies failed. He also indicated that future U.S. contributions to NATO's organizational costs, approximately $790 million in 2026, would depend on allies meeting their spending targets. "If other allies do not urgently increase their defense spending, our contributions will decrease," he warned.

Despite his strong rhetoric, Hegseth acknowledged that many NATO countries have made progress in strengthening their defenses, calling the development positive. However, he did not name specific countries for either criticism or praise. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte commented on Hegseth's remarks, suggesting that the U.S. Defense Secretary is simply fulfilling his role of maintaining pressure. Rutte described Hegseth's assessment as considered and noted that Europe and Canada have increased defense spending by $90 billion more than in 2024.

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