U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth just announced a six-month Pentagon review of American military forces stationed in Europe. This review, which Hegseth dubbed the NATO 3.0 review, is designed to ensure that European nations take the lead on their own conventional defense. According to AP News, this announcement came during a meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels, where Hegseth stated that the future of U.S. support is tied to how quickly allies can step up.
Hegseth told his NATO counterparts, “This will be a real review. It 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.” He adds, “It’s a review that some countries will fail and others will pass with flying colors.” Speaking on behalf of the Department of War, he argued that the alliance had lost its way after the Cold War, drifting into what he described as an era of distraction.
