War Secretary Pete Hegseth had harsh words for NATO allies during an address to his European counterparts on Thursday, announcing a six-month review of U.S.force deployment on the continent.Hegseth said the review's outcome will depend on how quickly European nations act to support themselves militarily."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 NATO officials in Brussels.Hegseth also lashed out at European countries for refusing to assist U.S.forces in the war against Iran, particularly those that withheld use of military bases.TRUMP PRESSES NATO PARTNERS ON SUPPORT AS HEGSETH BLASTS HESITATIONSecretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks at the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore on May 30, 2026.
(Edgar Su/Reuters)"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 then launched a more general critique of European policy, referencing migration and an emphasis on social policy over defense."Instead of tanks and fighters and air defenses, the focus has been on gender equity and climate change and defense austerity.Europe’s borders flew wide open, welfare states expanded, defense budgets cratered.
Along with Europe’s belief in itself and its civilization," Hegseth said.GERMANY PLEDGES TO BUILD EUROPE'S STRONGEST ARMY AS NATO ALLIES ANSWER TRUMP PRESSURENATO leaders participate in a summit in The Hague, Netherlands, on June 25, 2025, where they pledged to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035 as requested by President Donald Trump.(Handout / Latin America News Agency via Reuters Connect)The wake-up call comes just days after Germany pledged to become a more powerful military force inside NATO, with Berlin’s ambassador t...