NATO: US lashes out, alliance head says everything's fine
Key takeaways
- US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth threatened NATO allies over lack of spending and tepid support for the war in Iran.
- Hegseth said Washington would conduct a review to "examine America's force posture and basing in Europe."
- Reporting from Brussels, DW correspodent Terri Schultz said that Hegseth "picked up the script where he left it in his highly critical speech in Normandy earlier this month."
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth threatened NATO allies over lack of spending and tepid support for the war in Iran. Members say they are on the right path but need time as NATO boss Mark Rutte, claims all is good.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Fc6GThe Trump administration has been especially critical of NATO but the alliance's head, Mark Rutte, says everything is fine Image: Yves Herman/REUTERSAdvertisement US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Thursday berated NATO alliance partners over their military spending and lack of initial support for the US war in Iran.
Addressing fellow defense ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Hegseth doubled down on US President Donald Trump's threat to withdraw troops from Europe — where Washington stations them in order to aid in the defense of Europe, as well as to enable the more rapid projection of US military might abroad.