U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a six-month Pentagon review of American forces in Europe on June 18, warning NATO allies that some nations will “fail” the assessment unless they rapidly increase defense spending and take primary responsibility for their own security.
Addressing defense ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Hegseth said the review would examine America’s force posture and basing across the continent. “It’s a review that some countries will fail, and others will pass with flying colors,” he told the gathering.
The announcement marks an escalation in the Trump administration’s pressure campaign against European allies. Hegseth demanded that NATO members commit to 3.5 percent of their gross domestic product for defense spending, a threshold he has repeatedly emphasized in recent months.
Hegseth also lambasted European allies for what he called a “shameful” refusal to grant U.S. forces access to military bases on the continent for operations against Iran. “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, according to AP News.
The review comes weeks after the Pentagon signaled a significant reduction in military support to Europe. On June 3, the U.S. announced it would no longer provide an aircraft carrier and support ships, aerial refueling planes, and dozens of fighter jets in a crisis scenario—a shift that has forced NATO to develop backup defense plans.
The move also follows President Trump’s announcement in May that the Pentagon would withdraw approximately 5,000 troops from Germany, part of a broader reassessment of the U.S. military footprint in Europe.
NATO’s Defense Spending Effort
Hegseth’s criticism contrasts sharply with the unprecedented defense spending increases European allies have undertaken. In 2025 alone, NATO allies in Europe and Canada invested a total of $574 billion in defense, representing a 20 percent increase in real terms over 2024, according to the German news outlet Deutsche Welle.
At the 2025 NATO Summit in The Hague, member states committed to increasing defense spending to 5 percent of gross domestic product by 2035, with 3.5 percent allocated specifically for core defense needs, according to NATO’s official website. The alliance as a whole spent 2.77 percent of GDP on defense in 2025, according to Reuters.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte sought to downplay the impact of the U.S. decision to reduce military support, telling reporters that the NATO Force Model is “just a planning tool” and not a reflection of what would actually happen in wartime. “If war breaks out, we will all max out what we need to do to make sure we can fight the war,” Rutte said.
However, Hegseth’s remarks—which also criticized European migration and gender equality policies—signal continued friction between Washington and its European allies over burden-sharing and strategic priorities. The Pentagon chief’s visit to Brussels was notably brief, with Hegseth departing well before the conclusion of the defense ministers’ meeting and hours before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was scheduled to press allies for additional weapons, according to AP News.
Sources
- AP News — Hegseth’s announcement of the six-month review, his criticism of NATO allies on Iran base access, and the broader context of U.S. force reductions
- Reuters — Confirmation of the review announcement and NATO defense spending data for 2025
- Al Jazeera — Initial reporting on Hegseth’s announcement and his criticism of NATO allies
- CNN — Details on the review’s scope to examine force posture and basing in Europe
- NBC News — Hegseth’s lambasting of European allies over Iran base access
- CNBC — Hegseth’s demand for 3.5 percent defense spending and criticism of European policies
- Deutsche Welle — European NATO defense spending increase of 20 percent in 2025
- NATO Official Website — The 2025 Hague Summit commitment to 5 percent GDP spending by 2035
- Financial Times — Hegseth’s remarks on base access for Iran operations
- Breaking Defense — Confirmation of the six-month review announcement
