Pete Hegseth Announces Major Audit of US Forces in Europe
World
The sharp tightening of US transatlantic defense policy and the activation of the "NATO 3.0" concept are forcing European allies to urgently revise their military budgets amid a partial scale-back of American security guarantees. At a meeting of the alliance's defense ministers, Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth announced that Washington is launching a comprehensive six-month audit of its military presence on the continent and reducing its direct participation in NATO's response forces. According to the defense secretary, the era of "free-riding" has concluded, and European nations must now assume the primary conventional responsibility for their own security.
Despite the aggressive rhetoric, no direct declaration of a radical troop withdrawal was made, as legislation passed by Congress bars reducing the number of US troops in Europe below 76,000. While the re-evaluation will be coordinated with lawmakers, the shift toward EU defense autonomy has been declared irreversible. Concurrently, the White House is demonstrating a selective approach to allies: President Donald Trump announced the deployment of 5,000 troops to Poland, while Hegseth demanded that other alliance members immediately and publicly account for increases in their defense spending. The Pentagon emphasized that the revamped bloc must transform into a "hard military alliance" prepared for real deterrence without a critical reliance on the United States.
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