US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has announced a comprehensive review to "examine America's force posture and basing in Europe."
"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 defence," Hegseth said on Thursday, addressing NATO defence ministers in Brussels.
The review will take up to six months, he said, and involve consultations with the US Congress and NATO allies.
While acknowledging progress, Hegseth criticized the fact that some allies have not yet understood the need to step up. He also reiterated US criticism over the reluctance of some European allies to support Washington in the war in Iran.
The review should also lead to making sure that Washington's "access, basing, and overflight are clearly delineated and assured," he said.
"For too long, NATO has been a paper tiger and a one-way street. No more," Hegseth said. "Europe was not supposed to be a dependency of the United States."
The US was aiming to transform "NATO back into a real military alliance that's focused on hard power and real deterrence, a 'NATO 3.0,'" he said.
