Hegseth demands 'hardline' NATO 3.0 as allies absorb US force realignment
At a NATO defense ministers' meeting, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth urged the alliance to become a 'hardline' military force and said allies falling short on spending would be named publicly. NATO chief Mark Rutte insisted Europe can fill the gap left by Washington's conventional force withdrawal.
Hegseth's hardline NATO and public pressure
Hegseth demanded that NATO return to being a "hardline military alliance" with real deterrence and the ability to defend Europe. He said the US would be "frank, both privately and publicly" in identifying allies not meeting the 5% GDP defense spending commitment, a target agreed by all 32 members. Many countries are meeting it, he noted, but "some still need to do more, and we will be frank about it." He argued that the US military adjustment in Europe does not signal a retreat from global commitments but rather President Trump's leadership.
It is not just something we say, it is something we do. We have to be ready to act forcefully.
US force realignment and the concept of NATO 3.0
Last month Washington informed allies that it would withdraw a significant portion of the forces assigned to NATO's European theater (including fighters, tankers, ships, carriers, and submarines) and redeploy them to other regions such as the Indo-Pacific. Hegseth framed the move as part of creating a "NATO 3.0," in which European members and Canada assume conventional defense of the Euro‑Atlantic area while the US maintains its nuclear deterrent. The US 2027 defense budget was set at $1.5 trillion, which Hegseth described as building "the arsenal of the freedom."
Rutte downplays concerns, cites European readiness
NATO Secretary General Rutte acknowledged that the US reduction is "immediate" but stressed that if war broke out, all allies, including the US, would maximize their efforts. He said the US presence in Europe will be "somewhat less than in the past" but still "considerable," and declined to give exact figures because the information is classified. Rutte insisted that European allies and Canada are "ready, willing, and able to do more" and are already covering a large part of the resource gap.
What would actually happen if war broke out? If an Article 5 situation arises, then all allies, including the United States, would maximize what they can do to ensure we can win the war.
Europe scrambles to fill the gap
European allies and Canada are currently revising their force contributions and studying increased rotations in Eastern Europe. Spain and other members have tabled offers to cooperate in the new force model. Luis Simón, director of the Brussels office of the Elcano Royal Institute, noted that US contributions represent fully integrated combat packages, so the withdrawal of, for example, half a hundred fighters or eight tankers is a major challenge. The US has also frozen the planned deployment of Tomahawk missiles in Germany and is withdrawing 5,000 soldiers from that country.
Strategic shift and the nuclear umbrella
The White House insists its commitment to NATO's nuclear umbrella remains "solid," and that the reallocation of conventional forces is a necessity given multiple global theaters. Rutte used a population comparison to argue that Europe, with 600 million people, should be able to defend itself against Russia's 140 million, saying it is "a bit strange" that Europe still needs so much help from a country eight hours away with 350 million people. The burden is now shifting from sharing to transfer: Washington wants Europe to spend more, provide more forces, and assume more responsibility.
It is a bit strange that we still need so much help from another country eight hours away, with 350 million people, to defend ourselves against 140 million.
