Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a six-month review of U.S. forces and bases in Europe on Thursday, following accusations against allies for “shameful” inaction during the Iran war. Hegseth criticized allies for denying permission for U.S. to use some European bases for launching aircraft or ships, calling it “shameful.” This dynamic is part of why the Pentagon will launch a “NATO 3.0” review of U.S. troops in Europe.
The review comes ahead of the NATO Summit in Ankara next month and amid bipartisan concerns over recent troop withdrawals from Europe. In May, the Pentagon announced the withdrawal of 5,000 troops from Germany, which drew criticism from GOP senators Roger Wicker and Mike Rogers. The current bill requires the defense secretary to submit an assessment of any drawdown 120 days before implementing it.
Hegseth said some allies were committed to “freeriding” on America’s support because they had not shown tangible progress towards spending 5% of GDP on defense by 2035, a target NATO set during last year’s summit in The Hague. Estimates show that 31 out of 32 member countries spent 2% of GDP on defense in 2025, up from 18% in 2024.
Republican Sen. Thom Tillis noted the “tremendous progress” made by allies in ramping up defense spending but said they should use the upcoming summit to discuss shortfalls in capacity to produce weapons. He warned against any discussion of reducing U.S. commitment to NATO at the Ankara summit.