BRUSSELS, Belgium (TNND) — Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced a six-month review of American forces in Europe on Thursday, while lashing out at NATO allies during a trip to Belgium.
The review comes as the United States calls on the European nations to take responsibility for their own security, with U.S. officials and senior military officers promising to coordinate with Europe should American troops draw down.
This will be a real review. 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 said. “It’s a review that some countries will fail and others will pass with flying colors.”
During Hegseth’s passionate speech at the NATO headquarters on Thursday, he berated European allies as “shameful” for refusing to provide U.S. military forces access to bases to attack Iran.
These allies, they put America’s sons and daughters, our sons and daughters, at risk by denying them the predictable access, basing and overflight that never should have been in question at all.”
The review will also assess whether the U.S. has full access and overflight “when we need it,” Hegseth explained.
Hegseth also called out the European nations on migration and gender equality policies overseas.
Instead of tanks and fighters and air defenses, the focus has been on gender equity and climate change and defense austerity. Europe’s borders flew wide open, welfare states expanded, defense budgets cratered, along with Europe’s belief in itself and its civilization.”
A summit of NATO leaders in Turkey is planned for July 7 and 8.
So far, European allies and Canada have launched efforts to boost defense spending and expand armed forces. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Thursday that they’ve spent $90 billion more on defense last year, describing it as a 20% increase from 2024.
Hegseth’s visit to Brussels was his first since skipping a February meeting, with the secretary leaving hours before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was set to speak to NATO allies for more weapons as the war continues in Russia.
“It was great to hear country after country say, ‘We’re going to meet our target. We’re going to meet our target.’ There are still a few outliers, and we will be clear with them as we do this review,” Hegseth said before leaving town.
A few weeks ago, the Trump administration shared that it would no longer provide as much military support should a NATO member come under attack.
President Donald Trump and the War Department have mentioned potential scenarios for both reducing and increasing a military footprint in Europe, as well as annexing Greenland.
The administration has noted it needs to be able to plan for two simultaneous conflicts and wants more military resources available should it face tension with China.
However, the U.S. does not intend to withdraw its nuclear weapons from Europe.
On Thursday, NATO’s Nuclear Planning Group issued its first statement in 19 years after the Brussels meeting, writing that it “recalled that the strategic nuclear forces of the Alliance remain the supreme guarantee of Allied security and underpin NATO’s extended deterrence architecture.”
The statement said the ministers agreed “to continue enhancing NATO’s nuclear deterrence mission by modernizing NATO’s nuclear capabilities, strengthening its nuclear planning capacity, and adapting to achieve its security interests.”
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.