Hegseth to NATO: ‘US dues contingent on NATO countries meeting their defense spending goals’
During a speech at NATO headquarters, pete Hegseth, Secretary of War, emphasized the need for NATO to refocus on its original military purpose and increased defense spending among member countries. He criticized the institution’s shift toward non-military issues like climate change and gender equality, labeling it a deviation from its core mission.Hegseth advocated for NATO 3.0, a modernization effort modeled on its cold War-era role, where European allies take lead in defense, reducing dependence on the U.S. and ensuring shared responsibility. He highlighted Europe’s insufficient defense budgets and called for a review-NATO 3.0-to strengthen Europe’s military leadership. Additionally, he announced that U.S. NATO contributions will now be linked to the allies’ meeting defense spending targets, making the alliance a two-way street, and underscored the importance of transforming NATO into a genuine military alliance focused on hard power and deterrence.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth arrived at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on Thursday morning to address the alliance. He delivered a stern message about the future of the United States’s involvement with the alliance, specifically discussing the payment of annual dues going forward. He also lambasted NATO for a shift in its priorities, going from defense and war-fighting objectives to “out-of-area operations” such as climate change and gender equity.
“And as I said at my first NATO defense ministerial last February, and as the Trump administration has said again and again in the last year and a half, our allies must step up,” Hegseth said while addressing NATO. “President Trump has been very clear on this point for many years and over two administrations, and for too long, NATO has been a paper tiger and a one-way street. No more.”
“And that’s what the Hague Summit is all about, that’s what defense spending commitments are all about, transforming NATO back into a real military alliance that’s focused on hard power and real deterrence,” said Hegseth.
He then called for a modernization of NATO geopolitical thinking, dubbing it NATO 3.0. Hegseth described it as a return of sorts to NATO’s original purpose, forsaking the current prioritization of non-military objectives.
“A NATO 3.0, modeled on NATO 1.0 that won the Cold War, with our allies actually taking the lead in Europe’s conventional defense,” Hegseth added.
He also criticized Europe for its low defense spending, rebuking the alliance for its dependence on the United States for the continent’s defense.
“Europe was not supposed to be a dependency of the United States. That’s not what Winston Churchill or Charles de Gaulle, or Konrad Adenauer, wanted or expected. No, Europe was supposed to be a military power, allied with a strong America. This is the essence of NATO 1.0.”
Hegseth then described his perception of NATO 2.0 and how it “drifted” from the organization’s original intent and purpose.
“No longer focused on defending Europe, NATO 2.0 drifted toward out-of-area operations and things that had nothing to do with warfighting at all,” he said. “Instead of tanks and fighters and air defenses, the focus has been on gender equity, climate change, and defense austerity. Europe’s borders flew wide open, welfare states expanded, defense budgets cratered, along with Europe’s belief in itself and its civilization. NATO lost its way.”
“NATO 2.0 was an era of distraction, deindustrialization, and demilitarization,” Hegseth said. “It was an era of free-riding, and those were lost years that we’re not going back to. And that’s why at the Department of War, we’ve been so clear and so candid to restore NATO’s core military role and character.”
Then, after applauding NATO members who increased their defense spending contributions, mentioning the 5% of GDP threshold, he turned to the Iran war and criticized NATO for failing to support the United States. He said that President Donald Trump gave NATO a test and “too many failed it.” He then described two important changes the U.S. would make regarding NATO in the future.
First, the United States would be initiating a review with a maximum length of six months by the Department of War to review “that will examine America’s force posture and basing in Europe.”
POLAND IS THE NATO ALLY AMERICA NEEDS
“Let’s call it the NATO 3.0 review,” Hegseth said. “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, stepping to ensure our forces are postured for America’s global needs.”
He then spoke about the new process by which the U.S. would evaluate whether to pay its NATO dues.
“At the same time, going forward, our annual NATO dues will be contingent on other countries meeting their defense spending targets. Where other allies do not spend with urgency, our dues contribution will go down. NATO will be a two-way street.”
“It’s only common sense,” he said. “America cannot care for or pay more for Europe’s defense than our allies do.”
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