US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (center, left) and Greece’s Nikos Dendias greet each other before posing for a family photo during a meeting of NATO defense ministers at the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels, on Thursday, June 18, 2026. [Yves Herman/Reuters]
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a new review of America’s troop deployments in Europe on Thursday and threatened to withhold some US dues to NATO if “free-riding” allies did not meet their defense spending commitments.
Hegseth, addressing defense ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels, said the US review would last for up to six months and include consultations with the US Congress, which has legislated a minimum number of US forces in Europe.
While he did not explicitly say the review could result in reductions in US force deployments in Europe, he stressed the goal would be to prompt the continent to do more while ensuring the US military would be able to meet its global commitments.
“Make no mistake about it, 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,” Hegseth said.
