Hegseth announces review of US troops in Europe, threatens to cut NATO funding over 'free riding' allies

The review

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth used a meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels to announce a six-month examination of all American troop deployments in Europe. The review, he said, will be conducted in coordination with Congress, which last year legislated a minimum of 76,000 US service members on the continent. The goal, Hegseth stressed, is to press European allies to shoulder primary responsibility for the region’s defence while allowing the Pentagon to meet global commitments. "Make no mistake about it, this will be a real review," he told counterparts.

It will be designed to ensure that NATO is moving fast and irreversibly toward Europe leading, stepping up to take primary responsibility for the defense of Europe.

Hegseth’s broadside

Hegseth’s rhetoric was unusually blunt. He called it "shameful" that some allies denied the US basing and overflight rights during its war with Iran, saying the decisions endangered American lives. He did not name those countries, but officials singled out Spain and the UK as having refused cooperation. He also lashed out at wealthy allies who "still think the free-riding era continues" despite a 2025 summit agreement to lift defence spending to 5 percent of GDP by 2035. The US would henceforth condition its annual NATO budget contributions on whether others met their targets, he warned.

Too many failed. It was shameful. These allies endangered American sons and daughters.

Capabilities already cut

Even before the review, Washington has begun scaling back the forces assigned to the alliance’s crisis-response model. US officials confirmed last month that they would withdraw one of two carrier strike groups, almost half of all cruisers and destroyers, and all submarine-launched cruise-missile options pledged to NATO. The number of KC-135 tanker aircraft will drop from 71 to 63, P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol planes from 26 to 15, and F-16 and F-15 fighter jets and armed drones are also being reduced sharply. The changes are meant to end "unhealthy co-dependence," said Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Alexus Grynkewich.

Allied pushback

European ministers reacted with a mix of frustration and calls for clarity. German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, who had long pressed for a "roadmap" of future US withdrawals, said unilateral cuts created dangerous capability gaps. Dutch minister Dilan Yesilgöz stressed that "predictability is most important now" and urged a joint plan. Italy’s Guido Crosetto said he expected Washington to engage in dialogue and strike a "shared path" by which American troops leave only as Europeans can replace them. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte pointed to Hegseth’s willingness to consult as "more or less the definition of a roadmap." NATO sources nonetheless described the US defence secretary as a "broken record" and said his public dressing-down astonished and, in some cases, infuriated allies.

It is difficult and dangerous for the security of NATO territory in Europe if capabilities are withdrawn very quickly, without it being clear when they can be compensated.

Ankara next

The tensions will dominate a leaders’ summit in Ankara on 7–8 July, where progress on the 5-percent spending goal is to be assessed. With less than three weeks until the meeting, capitals are scrambling to orchestrate which nations can backfill the departing US hardware.