Hegseth tells NATO allies some nations will ‘fail’ U.S. defense review

Pete Hegseth set an unusually sharp tone at the opening of the NATO defence ministers’ meeting. Recalling that the United States is reviewing its force posture in Europe, he said the eventual report will rank some allies "at the very bottom" on spending and capability. While he did not name names, alliance officials privately point to Germany, Spain and Italy as countries the Pentagon considers underweight.

The most contested portion of his speech concerned the recent Iran war. Hegseth called it "shameful" that several European allies refused U.S. forces access to their bases for strikes against Iranian targets. The remarks came in the same session in which Secretary General Mark Rutte sought to project unity, exposing the strain inside the alliance.

Although European defence outlays have continued to climb, the message from Washington unsettled Berlin and Paris. Germany’s defence minister said after the meeting that "the numbers show we are meeting our commitments." French presidential officials called Hegseth’s tone "not constructive" and said the issue should be addressed inside formal NATO channels rather than at a public podium.