In essence, Hegseth was telling them things they already know.<\/p>\n
The list included their hike in defense spending, investment in industry to boost the production of military equipment, best use of lessons learned from the war in Ukraine<\/a>, and the need to buy or develop drones, air defense systems and long-range weapons.<\/p>\n At a summit ending Friday, they mulled how to put joint European Union funding to best use and cut red tape to speed purchases, weighed the state of \u201cmilitary mobility\u201d to speed the deployment of troops and equipment, and upgrade ports and airports.<\/p>\n \u201cEurope\u2019s defense readiness must be decisively ramped up by 2030,\u201d they said. <\/p>\n The list was not new, rather something they have developed since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022<\/a>.<\/p>\n Intelligence agencies have warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin could order an attack elsewhere in Europe<\/a> before the end of the decade, especially if he defeats Ukraine<\/a>. Already, they accuse Russia<\/a> of acts of sabotage and misinformation across Europe.<\/p>\n About two-thirds of EU member countries also stand in Nato\u2019s ranks, and the added unpredictability of the Trump administration has only girded them to forge ahead alone. <\/p>\n Hegseth\u2019s Pentagon<\/a> review was just the latest surprise.<\/p>\n Hegseth berates \u2018shameful\u2019 Nato allies<\/p>\n Hegseth does not attend many Nato meetings, and he left Thursday\u2019s gathering of defense ministers early. But his first major speech to the allies in February 2025 and his follow-up this week were memorable.<\/p>\n On Thursday he berated Nato as a \u201cpaper-tiger,\u201d said allies had been \u201cshameful\u201d and that \u201ctoo many failed\u201d a test put to them by President Donald Trump<\/a> when he sought use of their bases in Europe<\/a> to launch attacks on Iran.<\/p>\n He even took a shot at their focus on \u201cgender equity and climate change\u201d and slammed their migration policies.<\/p>\n Hegseth then gave them six months to shape up for a Pentagon performance review that tied the presence of U.S. forces in Europe and American investment in Nato to whether he believes they are pulling their weight.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s protection racket framing that undermines Nato solidarity, trust in the U.S. commitment to Nato, and, ultimately, U.S. security interests,\u201d said Rachel Ellehuus, Director-General of the Royal United Services Institute think-tank.<\/p>\n The review\u2019s terms<\/p>\n What the review really involves is not clear.<\/p>\n \u201cIt 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,\u201d Hegseth said. \u201cSome countries will fail and others will pass with flying colors.\u201d<\/p>\n It might last \u201cup to six months, could be less,\u201d he said, and involve U.S. military commanders, members of Congress and the allies themselves.<\/p>\n He said that U.S. payments into a joint Nato budget that runs its headquarters and other facilities will depend on how they\u2019re doing. \u201cWhere other allies do not spend with urgency, our dues contributions will go down,\u201d Hegseth said.<\/p>\n Talking to reporters at Brussels<\/a> airport before flying out, he said it would also address \u201cwhere is the right place for basing. Where can we make sure we have access and overflight when we need it, so that America is properly postured on the continent.\u201d<\/p>\n Nato played no active role in the Iran war<\/a>, but did shield alliance territory from possible attack.<\/p>\n![\"US](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2282164351...jpeg\")
US secretary of defence Pete Hegseth addresses the North Atlantic Council meeting of defense ministers at Nato headquarters in Brussels (Getty)<\/p>\n![\"Video](\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/img\/logo-white-out.svg\"){kind=logo}
<\/p>\n![\"Vice](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2282083765...jpeg\")
Vice President JD Vance in Switzerland for US-Iran peace talks (Getty)<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2026-06-20T165436Z_780048861_RC2SXLA9WRHL_RTRMADP_3_UKRAINE-CRISIS-ATTACK-ZAPORIZHZHIA.JPG\")
The aftermath of a Russian strike on the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia (Reuters)<\/p>\n