Hegseth Launches Six-Month NATO Review, Threatens Troop Cuts and Funding Ties

An alliance under review — and under pressure

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth traveled to Brussels on June 18 and announced a sweeping six-month Pentagon review of America's entire military footprint in Europe, telling NATO defense ministers that the outcome would determine which allies "pass with flying colors" and which would "fail."reuters +1 The announcement came alongside an immediate, unannounced cut to the assets the U.S. would activate in a European crisis, deepening allied anxiety just weeks before NATO leaders are set to gather in Ankara, Turkey.apnews

A fiery dressing-down in Brussels

In a speech that stunned assembled ministers into silence, Hegseth lambasted European allies for blocking American forces from using European bases to launch operations during the war with Iran, calling the refusal "shameful."apnews +1 He accused Europe of prioritizing "gender equity and climate change and defense austerity" over military readiness, and said the review would also assess whether the U.S. retains full basing access and overflight rights across the continent.apnews While NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte noted that European allies and Canada had spent $90 billion more on defense last year — a 20% increase over 2024 — Hegseth's remarks showed little acknowledgment of that progress.apnews

The review's real stakes

Hegseth framed the six-month assessment as a mechanism to accelerate a fundamental shift: European nations taking "primary responsibility" for their own defense.breakingdefense The review will involve input from U.S. European Command, consultations with Congress, and discussions with allies.breakingdefense Washington has also signaled it will make its NATO budget contributions contingent on allied defense spending levels, a move that would upend decades of automatic U.S. financial commitment to the alliance.reuters One month prior, the Pentagon ordered the withdrawal of 5,000 troops from Germany — a move described internally as a "routine mission" that caught senior Pentagon officials off guard.abcnews

Nuclear posture holds, but cracks widen

Despite the turbulence, Hegseth confirmed that U.S. nuclear weapons in Europe are not part of the review and will remain in place.apnews NATO's Nuclear Planning Group issued its first formal statement in 19 years, reaffirming that "the strategic nuclear forces of the Alliance remain the supreme guarantee of Allied security."apnews German Chancellor Friedrich Merz acknowledged that European allies have long understood a U.S. drawdown was coming, telling reporters, "We know that we must do more and we are doing it."apnews Still, reporting noted the Pentagon's move appeared "out of step" with what allies are already doing — a sign that managing the alliance's sharpening internal tensions will be the defining challenge at the Ankara summit in July.apnews