Pete Hegseth: Europe Still Relies Too Much on the U.S.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the Pentagon will conduct a six-month review of the U.S. military presence in Europe. Speaking at a NATO defense ministers meeting in Brussels, Hegseth stated the review aims to assess whether allies are making sufficient progress in taking on greater responsibility for European security.

Hegseth criticized some NATO allies for failing to support a recent U.S. operation against Iran. He described their lack of support as a "disgraceful" failure to demonstrate alliance solidarity, noting that many allies either refused requests for logistical support or publicly criticized the U.S. action. He emphasized that U.S. requests were limited to logistical assistance, such as access to bases, ports, and airspace.

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This will be a real review. Its purpose will be to ensure that NATO rapidly and irreversibly moves towards Europe taking primary responsibility for the defense of Europe. This is a review on which some countries will fail, and others will pass with flying colors.

The Defense Secretary called for a "NATO 3.0," advocating for the alliance to return to its fundamental mission as a credible military force capable of deterring threats and conducting conventional defense on the continent. He also pointed out that some of NATO's wealthiest members continue to rely excessively on U.S. protection while not fulfilling their own commitments.

Hegseth also addressed defense spending, noting that while many allies are meeting their commitments, some must do more. He highlighted that several members have yet to present "credible plans" to meet defense spending targets, a point echoed by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who mentioned Slovenia among the countries not yet reaching the two percent of GDP target for defense expenditures.

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Too many allies said no, tried to drown us in legal debates, or publicly criticized us for doing what they themselves did not want or could not do. It was disgraceful.