NATO has for too long functioned as a “paper tiger” and a “one-way street,” U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said on Thursday, warning that Washington would no longer shoulder a disproportionate share of Europe’s defense burden as he unveiled a review of America’s military posture across the continent.
Speaking alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Hegseth said the alliance must return to its original mission as a hard-power military organization focused on deterrence and collective defense.
Hegseth announced a sweeping review of America's military posture in Europe and warned that Washington could reduce its NATO funding commitments for allies that fail to meet defense spending targets.
“For too long, NATO has been a paper tiger and a one-way street. No more,” Hegseth said, arguing that the alliance had drifted away from its core purpose after the Cold War and become distracted by issues unrelated to military preparedness.
"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," he said.
He described the Trump administration’s vision as “NATO 3.0,” under which European allies would assume primary responsibility for the continent’s conventional defense while the United States repositions its forces to meet broader global challenges.
"A NATO 3.0, modeled on the NATO 1.0 that won the Cold War. (0:58) With our allies actually taking the lead in Europe's conventional defense," he said.
Hegseth said the alliance’s founders never intended Europe to become dependent on American military protection. He cited former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who had envisioned NATO as a partnership of strong allies rather than one reliant on permanent U.S. military guarantees.
"No, Europe was supposed to be a military power, allied with a strong America. This is the essence of NATO 1.0. As Dwight Eisenhower himself said as early as 1951, if in 10 years all American troops stationed in Europe for national defense purposes have not been returned to the United States, then this whole process will have failed. Eisenhower was Supreme Allied Commander then, not yet our nation's 34th president," he said.
The Pentagon chief criticized what he called decades of declining European defense spending, saying NATO had shifted its focus from military readiness toward issues such as climate change and gender equity while allowing its military capabilities to erode.
"We're doubling down on our effort to make NATO what it always was supposed to be, a balanced alliance with Europe in the lead for its own defense," Hegseth said.
The Pentagon chief announced a "six-month Department of War review" of U.S. force posture and military basing across Europe, describing it as a "real review" that could result in further changes to American deployments on the continent.
The review will examine whether NATO is moving "fast and irreversibly toward Europe leading, stepping up to take primary responsibility for the defense of Europe," he said.
Hegseth also delivered a stark warning on alliance funding, saying future U.S. financial contributions would depend on allies meeting defense spending commitments agreed at last year's NATO summit.
"Going forward, our annual NATO dues will be contingent on other countries meeting their defense spending targets," Hegseth said. "Where other allies do not spend with urgency, our dues contributions will go down. NATO will be a two-way street."
The remarks underscore President Donald Trump's long-standing criticism that European allies rely too heavily on U.S. military protection while underinvesting in their own defense.
Hegseth praised countries that have increased military spending toward NATO's new benchmark of 5% of gross domestic product, calling the target "historic" and "transformational."
At the same time, he sharply criticized allies that he said failed to support recent U.S. military operations in the Middle East by restricting access to bases and overflight rights.
"The United States has defended Europe for generations," Hegseth said. "Too many of our allies said no, or tried to drown us in arcane legal debates."
He called such actions "shameful" and argued they had placed American service members at greater risk.
In one of the speech's most striking passages, Hegseth accused NATO of drifting away from its military mission after the Cold War.
"NATO 2.0 drifted toward out-of-area operations and things that had nothing to do with war fighting at all," he said. "Instead of tanks and fighters and air defenses, the focus had been on gender equity and climate change and defense austerity."
The administration has already reduced U.S. troop levels in Europe to what Hegseth described as pre-2022 levels and signaled that further adjustments could follow depending on the outcome of the review.
Despite the tough rhetoric, Hegseth insisted there would be "no strategic surprises" and said Washington had been transparent with allies about its intentions. "Europe can and must take primary responsibility for its conventional defense," he said. "We know our allies can do it, and it's time."
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