- US begins review of its military presence in Europe to ensure NATO assumes primary responsibility for conventional defense.
- Review aims to accelerate NATO transition to a stronger, more equitable, and sustainable alliance.
- President Trump criticized allies over Iran war base access and threatened cuts to US NATO spending unless defense targets met.
- Pentagon has reduced assets available for NATO operations as US shifts focus toward China.
The US began reviewing its military presence in Europe on Monday, officials said, after US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told his NATO counterparts last month that Washington was planning such an analysis.
“As the Secretary (Hegseth) laid out then, this will be a real review, designed to ensure that NATO is moving fast and irreversibly toward Europe taking primary responsibility for its conventional defense,” US Defense Under Secretary Elbridge Colby wrote on X.
“The outcome of this Review will be an acceleration of NATO’s transition to a stronger, more equitable, and sustainable alliance,” Colby added.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly lashed out against European allies over their response to his war in Iran, including the refusal to allow US forces to use their bases during the start of the conflict.
Hegseth has also threatened to reduce Washington’s NATO spending unless allies reached defense spending targets.
Washington has been clear with Europe that it wants NATO allies on the continent to take over primary responsibility for their own conventional defense as US focus shifts towards China.
As part of that process the Pentagon has already told allies it is reducing the number of assets worldwide that it makes available for NATO operations.
