U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sharply criticized NATO on Thursday at a meeting of alliance defense ministers in Brussels, saying Washington is reexamining its military commitment to Europe. He said the next six months will bring a comprehensive review of the U.S. troop posture in Europe, with a focus on whether European countries are willing to take greater responsibility for their own security.
Hegseth said the review is meant to ensure NATO is moving quickly and irreversibly toward a model in which Europe leads and expands its share of the burden for defending itself. He dismissed the alliance in its current form as a "paper tiger" and said it needs a full reset into "NATO 3.0." According to him, that version would be "really tough" and have "real military capabilities" able to deter threats on the continent and lead conventional defense of Europe.
He argued that since the end of the Cold War, Europe has drifted away from its security commitments and become overly reliant on the United States. He described that era as "NATO 2.0," saying European countries have been "free-riding" on American support.
