U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday that America's allies in Europe must take the lead on the defense of their own continent and help turn NATO into "a real hard-line military alliance." This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Associated Press.
At a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels, Hegseth called for a reboot of the 32-nation organization to turn it into a "NATO 3.0" capable of deterring any threat. "NATO 3.0 is post-Cold War recognition that (NATO) needs to go back to a real hard-line military alliance that has real military capabilities capable of deterring right here on the continent and taking the lead for the conventional defense of Europe," Hegseth said.
His remarks came a few weeks after the United States told its allies that it would no longer supply certain warships and aircraft if one of them comes under attack. European allies and Canada are trying to work out how to plug the gaps.
As part of that, Hegseth told reporters, the United States would be investing $1.5 trillion in its own defense in 2027, sending "a message to the world" that America is building an "arsenal of freedom." Hegseth said that this arsenal "first and foremost protects America and American interests but also backstops the strength of NATO and our allies."
NATO chief downplays US military cutbacks as top commander makes backup plans.