U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a six-month Pentagon review of American forces stationed in Europe during meetings with NATO counterparts in Brussels on Thursday, saying the assessment would determine whether European allies are stepping up to take primary responsibility for their own defense.
The announcement marks what administration officials describe as an effort to push NATO members toward meeting and exceeding defense spending targets. Hegseth told assembled defense ministers that the review would be designed to ensure "NATO is moving fast and irreversibly toward Europe leading, stepping up to take primary responsibility for the defense of Europe."
What the Right Is Saying
Conservative supporters of the administration say the review is a necessary correction to longstanding imbalances in defense contributions. Republican lawmakers argue that some NATO members have relied on U.S. military presence without meeting agreed-upon spending benchmarks.
Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma, who serves on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Hegseth's approach "reflects what many Americans have expected for years—that European allies should carry a greater share of their own defense burden."
Defense hawks contend that a reduced American footprint could encourage European nations to invest more heavily in their own military capabilities. Some Republican commentators have argued this pressure tactic mirrors approaches used successfully with alliance partners on other security issues.
What the Left Is Saying
Progressive critics argue that pressuring NATO allies during a period of ongoing security concerns in Eastern Europe risks undermining alliance cohesion at a critical moment. Some Democratic lawmakers have noted that current European defense spending has risen significantly over the past decade, with most NATO members now exceeding 2% of GDP targets established under previous agreements.
Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said through a spokesperson that while burden-sharing discussions are legitimate, "the strength of NATO has always been its commitment to collective defense. Any review must account for the real security environment allies face."
Human rights and foreign policy advocates within the Democratic coalition have emphasized that European partners have contributed substantially to joint operations in recent years, including deployments in the Balkans and counterterrorism missions in North Africa.
What the Numbers Show
NATO's 2024 annual report showed that 23 of 31 member nations met or exceeded the 2% GDP defense spending target, up from just three members in 2014. The alliance collectively spent approximately $380 billion on defense in 2023.
The United States currently maintains roughly 100,000 military personnel across Europe, with major bases in Germany, Italy, and Poland. American forces constitute about 47% of NATO's total conventional military capacity.
European NATO members have increased defense budgets by an estimated 18% cumulatively since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Germany announced plans to modernize its military at a cost exceeding 100 billion euros over five years.
The United States accounts for approximately 68% of total NATO defense spending, down from roughly 75% a decade ago as European contributions have risen.
The Bottom Line
The six-month review will likely determine the future posture of U.S. forces in Europe, with implications for alliance structure and transatlantic security arrangements that have defined Western defense policy since World War II. NATO officials are expected to present their own assessments of member readiness during the review period.
What remains unclear is what specific benchmarks would trigger changes in force levels or support structures. Administration officials have not detailed what constitutes sufficient progress by European allies, leaving open questions about how the review's findings will be measured and acted upon.
European partners will be watching closely for signals about American commitment to collective defense principles outlined in Article 5 of the NATO charter, which guarantees mutual defense obligations.