NATO: US lashes out, alliance head says everything's fine
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth threatened NATO allies over lack of spending and tepid support for the war in Iran. Members say they are
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth threatened NATO allies over lack of spending and tepid support for the war in Iran. Members say they are on the right path but need time as NATO boss Mark Rutte, claims all is good. US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Thursday berated NATO alliance partners over their military spending and lack of initial support for the US war in Iran. Addressing fellow defense ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Hegseth doubled down on US President Donald Trump's threat to withdraw troops from Europe — where Washington stations them in order to aid in the defense of Europe, as well as to enable the more rapid projection of US military might abroad. Hegseth said Washington would conduct a review to "examine America's force posture and basing in Europe." Reporting from Brussels, DW correspodent Terri Schultz said that Hegseth "picked up the script where he left it in his highly critical speech in Normandy earlier this month." "In an angry rebuke tied to dissatisfaction with the European response to President Trump's war on Iran, Hegseth announced a si month process of reviewing the US defense posture in Europe, looking at the number of forces and presence on bases," she said. "This comes, of course, on the heels of a sharp reduction in the assets the US will pledge to NATO's crisis plans, known as the Force Model." US troop plans spark confusion among NATO allies To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Hegseth cites lack of support against Iran Hegseth also noted the distinct lack of enthusiasm for Trump's decision to attack Iran — which he did alongside Israel without consulting NATO allies.
Hegseth said that America's NATO partners had acted in a "shameful" way adding, "These allies… they put America's sons and daughters… our sons and daughters… at risk. There's no excuse for that." Allies were caught flatfooted by Trump's decision to start an unannounced war with Iran without clear objectives, with some refusing to grant last-second requests regarding the use of NATO airspace and access to US bases in NATO countries like Italy. Lastly, Hegseth threated that the US might consider withholding its own contributions to the military alliance if partners fail to meet spending targets, saying, "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," Hegseth added. "This isn't what the president or America expects from this alliance. This is not what any reasonable person would expect. And it's not going to cut it anymore. And so we're doubling down on our effort to make NATO what it always was supposed to be." NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte: 'We're in a really good place' Despite the belligerent attitude of the US defense secretary, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte claimed Thursday that everything is fine. Rutte appeared unfazed by potential US troop withdrawals at a moment in which Russia's President Vladimir Putin is consistently badgering Europe while conducting his war of aggression in Ukraine.
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