Hegseth announces 6-month review of American forces in Europe, blasts NATO allies for putting troops ‘at risk’

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks at the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore on May 30, 2026.(Edgar Su/Reuters)

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“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,” he said.

Hegseth then launched a more general critique of European policy, referencing migration and an emphasis onsocial policyover defense.

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“Instead of tanks and fighters and air defenses, the focus has been on gender equity andclimate changeand defense austerity.Europe’s borders flew wide open, welfare states expanded, defense budgets cratered.Along with Europe’s belief in itself and its civilization,” Hegseth said.

GERMANY PLEDGES TO BUILD EUROPE’S STRONGEST ARMY AS NATO ALLIES ANSWER TRUMP PRESSURE

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NATO leaders participate in a summit in The Hague, Netherlands, on June 25, 2025, where they pledged to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035 as requested by President Donald Trump.(Handout / Latin America News Agency via Reuters Connect)

The wake-up call comes just days afterGermanypledged to become a more powerful military force inside NATO, with Berlin’s military burden.

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Chancellor Friedrich Merzhas said Germany’s armed forces should become the strongest conventional army in Europe, a goal Hanefeld said is now backed by Berlin’s new military strategy.

“Russia’s illegal war of aggression has shaken old certainties in Europe and Germany as the international rules we have relied on are being challenged,” Hanefeld said.“This changes the strategic environment we operate in.”

President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz met in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 3, 2026, to discuss issues including recent U.S.and Israeli strikes on Iran.(Win McNamee/Getty Images)

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“Today, Germany isUkraine’s largest supporter,” Hanefeld said.“Germany’s decision to become Europe’s strongest conventional army, well anchored in the NATO alliance, is an ongoing commitment.”

� Efrat Lachter and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

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