Hegseth slams UK for lacking a defence plan – what he said
Rutte says Nato 3.0 ‘is really happening’ as Hegseth hails defence spending surge
Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary, announced a review of US forces in Europe, stating that the era of other countries ‘free riding’ on the US for defence is over.
Speaking at Nato headquarters in Brussels, Hegseth criticised allies for being too reliant on the US and failing to meet defence spending targets, calling Nato a ‘paper tiger and a one-way street’.
He also condemned European countries, including the UK, for their reluctance to support US actions in Iran, accusing them of putting American service members at risk by denying access and overflight.
In response to these perceived failures, Hegseth warned that US contributions to NATO would become contingent on allies meeting their spending targets, and a Pentagon review of US troop posture in Europe would be launched.
NAto Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed that European members were already committing to replace battlefield equipment that the US was withdrawing, indicating a readiness to increase their contributions.
