Hegseth Orders Review of U.S. Forces in Europe and Pressures NATO Allies to Pay More

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has launched a six-month review of whether American troops should be withdrawn from Europe, while also calling for a major restructuring of NATO into what he described as a tougher, self-reliant alliance. He said Europe must stop depending on the United States and begin funding its own defense.

The move is already underway in practice. Washington has sharply reduced the number of fighter jets, drones and warships it keeps on standby for NATO in the event of war, saying it needs to prepare its military for other global challenges, including China, and cannot continue providing Europe with what it called a free security guarantee.

Hegseth attacked European allies for, in his words, “free-riding” on the United States. He said that when America fought Iran, some European states would not even let U.S. aircraft use their bases or pass through their airspace. “You put our boys and girls at risk,” he said.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius warned that a rapid U.S. pullback would be dangerous for Europe and very hard to replace quickly. Some countries, including Belgium, have said they will try to bring in new equipment to close the gaps, but NATO officials now appear to recognize that the era of near-total American protection for Europe may be ending.