US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth once again criticized European NATO allies this Thursday (18), when announcing a six-month review of the American military presence in Europe. During a meeting of alliance defense ministers in Brussels, the American official stated that the objective of the strategic reorganization is accelerate the transfer of responsibility for the continent’s defense to European countries themselves.
According to the head of the Pentagon, the review will assess whether allies are moving forward in an appropriate manner. “quick and irreversible” to take leadership of your own safety. The statement reinforces the position of Donald Trump’s administration, which has been pressuring NATO members to expand their military investments and reduce dependence on resources provided by Washington.
Hegseth also sharply criticized some European partners for denying access to military bases and overflight authorizations for American operations against Iran. “These allies put America’s sons and daughters, our sons and daughters, at risk by denying predictable access, basing and overflight that should never have been questioned,” said the secretary.
At the meeting, Hegseth defended a reformulation of the military alliance, which he called “NATO 3.0”: “NATO 3.0 is the post-Cold War recognition that it (NATO) needs to return to being a truly hard-line military alliancewith real military capabilities capable of deterring here on the continent and taking the lead in the conventional defense of Europe”, he said.
The statements come just weeks after Washington informed allies which will no longer make certain military resources available in the event of a crisisincluding aircraft carriers, support ships, in-flight refueling aircraft and part of its fighter fleet. The measure led European countries and Canada to study ways to fill any operational gaps within the alliance..
When justifying the change in stance, the Trump administration argues that it needs to maintain the capacity to simultaneously face two major conflicts and expand its preparations in the face of a possible escalation of tensions with China in the Indo-Pacific region. In this context, Hegseth announced that the United States intends to invest approximately US$1.5 trillion in defense in 2027, an amount that, according to him, will serve to strengthen what he called the “arsenal of freedom”.
*With information from AFP and Al Jazeera
