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Hegseth renews Nato criticism and says US will review presence in Europe
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has severely criticised some of America's Nato allies, while announcing a six-month review of the presence of US forces in Europe.
"It's a review that some countries will fail, and others will pass with flying colours", he said at a meeting of Nato defence ministers in Brussels, singling out allies that he suggested had been "free-riding".
Hegseth was also highly critical of Nato member states that had imposed limits on help to US forces during the war with Iran.
The aim of the review, which Hegseth termed Nato 3.0, was to "ensure that Nato is moving fast and irreversibly toward Europe leading" on security on the continent. A US official told the BBC that nothing had yet been predetermined.
The US wants Nato members to contribute more to defence spending in Europe and says some countries have not shown how they will reach an agreed target of 5% of national economic output (GDP) which includes 3.5% on core defence and 1.5% on related infrastructure.
Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte said defence spending had already gone up €90bn (£78bn; $103bn) last year - a rise of almost 20% - and Europeans were "already backfilling" resources that the US was cutting back on.
Hegseth's announcement of a review follows a US decision to scale back its commitments to a high readiness force within the alliance known as the Nato Force Model (NFM).
Details of how the US will reduce its commitments have not been made public but it has been indicated they include air and naval capabilities.
Hegseth said Nato's annual dues would be "contingent on other countries meeting their defence spending targets; where other allies do not spend with urgency, our dues contributions will go down".
"Some of Nato's largest economies, some of our richest countries, allies that are happiest to go on about the rules-based international order and middle powers banding together, still seem to think the era of free-riding is here," he added.
He did not single out which countries he meant.
A senior Nato official conceded that "not everything" that the US was withdrawing "can be absolutely replaced" but Rutte said some work had already been done and further efforts were under way. He also revealed that the changes were taking effect immediately.
Meanwhile, new UK Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis attended the summit without a UK defence investment plan, but said he is "working around the clock" to ensure one is completed and provides what the military needs.
"My priority now is to make sure that our armed forces have the resources that they need to do a very difficult job", he said, adding that "the world is a very dangerous place."
Jarvis took up the position after his predecessor, John Healey, quit last week, warning in his resignation letter to Sir Keir Starmer that the level of new funding proposed fell "well short" of what was needed to protect the UK.
The Nato Force Model is a set of forces that the alliance's Supreme Allied Commander in Europe (Saceur) knows he "can count on" at short notice, the Nato official explained.
In May the US announced it would withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany after a row between President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the war with Iran.
The same month Poland was told 4,000 troops would be pulled out only for Trump to later reverse the plan and promise 5,000 would be deployed.
Poland hosts up to 10,000 US troops on a rotational basis, and Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said on Thursday that the US was open to Warsaw's offer to provide a permanent base for US troops. He said a final decision would depend on the details of such an agreement.
Earlier, Trump threatened to halt all trade with Spain after the government in Madrid refused to allow the use of air bases on its territory for attacks on Iran. The US has two military bases there, Naval Station Rota and Morón Air Base.
Rutte said on Wednesday he expected members to show how they would deliver on the 5% promise.
He added: "Ahead of the summit in Ankara [on 7-8 July], allies will highlight how they're delivering on commitments made in The Hague last year. Investing 5% of GDP in defence by 2035. That's what we agreed.
"I expect nations to present clear, concrete and credible plans to reach that goal. Ideally, well ahead of the agreed timeline. Many are already showing that they are doing exactly that."
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BRUSSELS — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth lashed out at NATO allies Thursday, announcing a six-month Pentagon review of American forces in Europe that will depend on how fast they take responsibility for their own security.
“This 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,” he told his NATO counterparts in Brussels.
Hegseth lambasted European allies for failing to provide U.S. forces access to bases on the continent to launch attacks on Iran, calling it “shameful.”
“These allies, they put America’s 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,” he said.
Hegseth said earlier Thursday that America’s allies in Europe must take the lead on the defense of their own continent and help turn NATO into “a read hard-line military alliance.”
At the meeting of NATO defense ministers, Hegseth called for a reboot of the 32-nation organization to turn it into a “NATO 3.0” capable of deterring any threat.
His 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 3.0 is post-Cold War recognition that (NATO) needs to go back to a real hard-line military alliance that has real military capabilities capable of deterring right here on the continent and taking the lead for the conventional defense of Europe,” Hegseth said.
As part of that, he told reporters, the U.S. would be investing $1.5 trillion in its own defense in 2027, sending “a message to the world” that America is building an “arsenal of freedom.”
Hegseth said that this arsenal “first and foremost protects America and American interests but also backstops the strength of NATO and our allies.”
He said he would tell U.S. allies they “have to be willing to stand up and do something in a strong way about” the defense of their own continent.
NATO’s supreme allied commander, an American, is working on backup plans to defend Europe after the U.S. signaled 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’s collective security guarantee - Article 5 of its founding treaty - 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 U.S. is scaling back how it might help should an ally trigger Article 5. The U.S. has by far NATO’s biggest armed forces. It does not intend to withdraw its nuclear weapons in Europe, which are key to NATO’s deterrence.
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Hegseth announces review of US troops in Europe, scorns some allies
Says US review of NATO force posture will last six months, with Congress consultations included
United States Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a new review of America's troop deployments in Europe on Thursday and threatened to withhold some US dues to NATO if "free riding" allies did not meet their defence spending commitments.
Hegseth, addressing defence ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels, said the US review would last for up to six months and include consultations with the US Congress, which has legislated a minimum number of US forces in Europe
While he did not explicitly say the review could result in reductions in US force deployments in Europe, he stressed the goal would be to prompt the continent to do more while ensuring the US military would be able to meet its global commitments.
"Make no mistake about it, this 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 defence of Europe," Hegseth said.
Hegseth also slammed allies who did not support the US during its war with Iran, after some denied the US basing and overflight rights for war-related activities.
.@SECWAR “Europe was NOT supposed to be a dependency of the United States...
— DOW Rapid Response (@DOWResponse) June 18, 2026
Europe was supposed to be a military power allied with a STRONG AMERICA—this is the essence of NATO 1.0.” pic.twitter.com/P3oQhgepWp
He said the US review would ensure US basing and overflight rights were assured.
His comments came as countries in the alliance scrambled to fill gaps in their crisis forces — national capabilities committed to the transatlantic alliance in an emergency — after Washington cut some contributions with immediate effect.
The US told its allies last month that it had decided to shrink the pool of US military capabilities available to the alliance in a crisis, raising urgent questions as leaders prepare for a NATO summit in Ankara on July 7-8.
The move is meant to gradually end an "unhealthy co-dependence" on US forces as Washington faces the potential of simultaneous conflicts in multiple theatres, according to NATO's top commander, US Air Force General Alexus Grynkewich.
Arriving for a meeting with his counterparts at NATO's Brussels headquarters, Hegseth said the US would be candid in public and private about countries that need to do more to meet their commitments.
"[There are] some that still need to do more, and we will be candid about that, both in private and in public. I think that's important, friends being honest with friends," Hegseth said.
"NATO 3.0 is post-Cold War recognition that it needs to go back to a real hardline military alliance that has real military capabilities capable of deterring right here on the continent and taking the lead for the conventional defence of Europe."
'It is immediate'
NATO chief Mark Rutte acknowledged that the reduction of U.S contributions to NATO's crisis forces had already taken effect.
"The question yesterday came up: Is this immediate or not? It is immediate," he told reporters.
"However, why I'm a little bit reluctant to say this is because it is a planning tool. So what would happen in reality? If war would break out ... all allies, including the US, will max out what they can do to make sure we can fight the war."
Some ministers spelt out offers to raise their contributions to NATO's crisis pool as they entered the Brussels meeting.
Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken said his country would contribute more to NATO's crisis forces to help replace some US capabilities, including with F-16 fighter jets and MQ-9B SkyGuardian drones.
"There will be heavy discussions on who is doing what, but I can say that Belgium is contributing," the minister said.
Plugging other gaps will take longer as Europeans lack weapons such as deep strike missiles, prompting German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius to call for a synchronised process to prevent "dangerous capability gaps in Europe".
"It is difficult and dangerous for the security of NATO's territory in Europe if capabilities are withdrawn very quickly without having clarity when they can be compensated for," he warned, citing deep strike as one of the capabilities hard to replace.
"There, we will need either stop-gap solutions or time before their withdrawal. This will need to be negotiated with our American partners. Generally, we will be able to compensate much but we will need some more time," Pistorius said.
The US has not publicly disclosed details of its reductions, but they range from refuelling aircraft to fighter jets, drones and ships, according to figures provided to Reuters by a military source.
The number of US F-15 and F-15E fighter jets available to NATO will fall by a third to 99 and the number of MQ-4 and MQ-9 Reaper drones by half to 12, according to the source.
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