Pete Hegseth, a senior U.S. defense official, criticized NATO allies for their reluctance to grant the United States prompt access to European bases for potential air strikes against Iran, calling it a “test” that many allies failed. Speaking in Geneva, Hegseth expressed frustration with what he characterized as legal impediments and public criticism from allies who he said were unwilling or unable to undertake similar military actions themselves.

In recent months, Washington has proposed reducing certain U.S. military assets available to the NATO Force Model, the alliance’s rapid response pool designed to deploy troops and equipment within 10 days in a crisis. Among the assets the U.S. reportedly intends to withdraw are one of its two aircraft carrier strike groups assigned to NATO and all submarines capable of launching cruise missiles, including Tomahawks. These details were previously disclosed by German media.

European officials have urged the Trump administration to coordinate closely on any such troop or equipment withdrawals to allow allied forces adequate time to adapt and address operational shortfalls. The potential realignment of U.S. forces reflects broader tensions over burden-sharing within the alliance, particularly regarding defense spending commitments.

Hegseth also linked U.S. financial contributions to NATO directly to the defense expenditures of other member states. “Where other allies do not spend with urgency, our dues contributions will go down,” he stated, emphasizing that NATO funding must be mutually reciprocal.

These issues—defense spending and the allocation of military responsibilities between the U.S. and European allies—are anticipated to be central topics at the upcoming NATO summit scheduled for next month in Ankara. The discussions are expected to influence the future posture of NATO’s collective defense arrangements amid evolving geopolitical challenges.