Hegseth announces review of U.S. forces in Europe, blasts "shameful" NATO allies

The Pentagon is launching a six-month reappraisal of U.S. forces and bases successful Europe, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday astatine a gathering of NATO defence ministers, soon aft helium accused allies of "shameful" inaction during the Iran war.

Without naming circumstantial nations, helium called retired allies for criticizing the U.S. run against Iran and denying support for the U.S. to usage immoderate bases successful Europe for launching craft oregon ships.

"It's shameful," Hegseth said. "These allies, they enactment America's sons and daughters, our sons and daughters, astatine hazard by denying them the predictable entree facing overflight that ne'er should person been successful question astatine all." 

He said that dynamic is portion of wherefore the U.S. volition motorboat what helium called a "NATO 3.0" reappraisal of U.S. troops successful Europe that could instrumentality six months oregon less. NATO 3.0 is an inaugural introduced successful February by Undersecretary of Defense For Policy Elbridge Colby, who said it was clip for European countries to instrumentality superior work for the continent's accepted defense. 

On Thursday, Hegseth said NATO 2.0, which helium called "an epoch of freeriding," is over. 

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks up of the NATO Defense Ministers gathering astatine NATO office successful Brussels connected June 18, 2026. Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu via Getty Images

His announcement of the reappraisal of U.S. forces successful Europe comes up of the NATO Summit successful Ankara, Turkey, adjacent month, which President Trump is expected to attend. It besides comes amid bipartisan concerns connected Capitol Hill implicit caller unit withdrawals from the continent.

In May, the Pentagon announced the withdrawal of 5,000 troops from Germany. Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi and Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama, the GOP chairmen of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees, released a connection saying they were "concerned" by the decision. 

"Any important alteration to the U.S. unit posture successful Europe warrants a deliberate reappraisal process and adjacent coordination with Congress and our allies," Wicker and Rogers wrote. 

The Pentagon besides reduced the fig of brigade combat teams assigned to Europe, a determination that besides took immoderate members of Congress by surprise. 

During a House Armed Services Committee hearing, GOP Rep. Austin Scott of Georgia told Army leaders that "these are large decisions that look to galore of the members of this committee to beryllium last-minute decisions." 

There are presently astir 80,000 U.S. troops successful Europe. Congress has already required the Pentagon to taxable a program earlier cutting forces beneath 76,000. The Senate Armed Service Committee's draught mentation of this year's defence argumentation bill, known arsenic the NDAA, would adhd an further check. 

The existent bill, which was voted retired of the committee past week, would necessitate the defence caput to taxable an appraisal of the interaction of immoderate drawdown 120 days earlier implementing it. 

In his announcement of the review, Hegseth said immoderate allies were committed to "freeriding" connected America's enactment due to the fact that they were not showing tangible advancement towards spending 5% of GDP connected defence by 2035, a people NATO established during past year's acme successful The Hague. 

Estimates released by NATO earlier this twelvemonth showed 31 of the 32 subordinate countries spent 2% of GDP connected defence successful 2025, an summation from 18 that did truthful successful 2024. President Trump repeatedly pushed NATO allies to conscionable the 2% people during his archetypal administration.

Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, a co-chair of the Senate NATO Observer Group, noted the "tremendous progress" to ramping up defence spending during an lawsuit Wednesday astatine the Atlantic Council. But helium said that allies should usage the upcoming acme to sermon shortfalls successful the capableness to nutrient weapons. 

"I deliberation arsenic radical admit that 1 of the reasons wherefore the household is having a combat is due to the fact that immoderate of the brothers and sisters were conscionable not stepping up to the level the household expected, past we tin person a bully sermon with this president," Tillis said. 

"What we don't privation to person successful Ankara is immoderate treatment of america reducing our committedness to NATO. That's the worst imaginable happening that tin travel from that," the legislator said earlier the reappraisal was announced.