Pete Hegseth came to Europe to deliver a lecture. The Fox News weekend host turned Secretary of War has just supervised the most spectacular US military embarrassment in decades, and it seems he had some frustration to vent at a meeting of Nato defence ministers.
Speaking at a Nato summit in Brussels, Hegseth lambasted US allies for their “shameful” refusal to allow the US to launch offensive strikes against Iran from military bases in their territories, arguing “they put America’s sons and daughters – our sons and daughters – at risk” by doing so.
He complained allies had “tried to drown us in arcane legal debates or criticised us publicly for doing what they aren’t prepared or able to do themselves” – ignoring the deep questions about the purpose of the war he spearheaded – and what it has actually achieved.
There was more to come. Hegseth declared that the “era of free-riding” – in which Europe could rely on the US for defence while spending little itself – was over, and announced a six-month review of the presence of US forces in Europe. “It’s a review that some countries will fail, and others will pass with flying colours,” he added.
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