US launches review of military presence in Europe, urges NATO to share defense burden
The US has begun a review of its military footprint in Europe, calling on NATO allies to take greater responsibility for the continent's defense.
Key Takeaways
AIThe United States announced on Monday that it has begun a review of its military presence in Europe, following remarks made by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth during the NATO defense ministers’ meeting last June regarding the future of American troop deployments on the continent.
US Under Secretary of Defense Elbridge Colby stated on X that the review would be “genuine” and aims to ensure NATO moves swiftly and irreversibly toward Europe taking primary responsibility for its own conventional defense, in line with the secretary’s previous statements.
Colby added that the outcome of this review would help accelerate NATO’s transition into a “stronger, fairer, and more sustainable alliance.”
The move comes amid US criticism of European countries that refused to allow American forces to use NATO bases on their soil during the conflict with Iran.
The US defense secretary had previously warned that Washington could reduce its contribution to the alliance’s budget if some countries failed to meet commitments agreed at last year’s NATO summit in The Hague.
At that summit, alliance leaders pledged to allocate at least 5% of GDP to security spending by 2035, with 3.5% of that earmarked for purely military expenditures.