US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Saturday urged Europe to counter what he termed an "invasion" of its coastline by migration, as he marked the 82nd anniversary of the World War II D-Day landings in France. Hegseth also called on European countries to do more to contribute to their own defence, in a speech at the American military cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer in Normandy. However, he conspicuously skipped the main international ceremony later in the afternoon marking the anniversary of the Allied landings, which heralded an end to World War II. "Sadly, today different European beaches are stormed by different dangerous ideologies," Hegseth said. On "beaches in Spain and Italy and Greece and Bulgaria, boats and men arrive," he said. "When will European capitals do something about that invasion? Or is it too late?" His comments echoed the argument of the administration of US President Donald Trump that mass migration represents a danger to European civilisation. US Vice President JD Vance on Friday blamed Britain's handling of the murder of a white student by a Sikh man on what he called civilisational decline caused by an "invasion" of migrants. Read moreJD Vance blames British student's murder on migrant 'invasion' "May we learn from this past," Hegseth said in reference to the pivotal involvement of US troops in the landings. "The men buried here fought in a war-fighting alliance where every partner... brought its full measure of industry, courage and sacrifice," he said in front of the 9,387 white crosses of American soldiers killed in action during the Battle of Normandy. "Not empty slogans, not lavish summits, not communiques. "Real allies doing real things, taking real losses for a shared cause worth fighting and dying for." Peace 'through strength' Hegseth said that while America "will lead", its "capable allies must be right there with us, shoulder-to-shoulder in the breach when it matters".