European NATO allies are racing to compensate for cuts announced by the United States to certain air and naval assets provided to European allies in case of a conflict.
"We can take on what is to be compensated, but not everything right away," German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Thursday.
Good coordination among allies, including the US, was now key "to prevent dangerous capability gaps from arising in Europe," he said, on the margins of a meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels.
"That the United States of America would do less in Europe to ultimately be able to show more commitment in the Indo-Pacific was always foreseeable," said Pistorius.
The German defence minister said that deep precision strikes were one area where more time was needed.
In May, Washington unveiled that it would reduce contributions to NATO's Force Model, an assets planning tool, as part of a push to increase European defence spending and reduce the continent's reliance on the United States.
"I think that's important, friends being honest with friends, making sure that they can step up,"US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said about Washington's drive to improve Europe's defence capabilities.
Ongoing efforts to backfill the changes were "a good start," he said.
"The decision as to who will take over which tasks from the Americans, if and when it comes to that, has not yet been made," Pistorius said.
While some allies are keeping their offers confidential, Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken pledged more F-16 fighter jets and surveillance drones.
Hegseth also announced a review of US troops in Europe to "examine America's force posture and basing in Europe."
NATO's Rutte tries to dispel concerns over cuts
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte tried to dispel concerns that the cuts - that entered into effect immediately - could impact NATO's capabilities to defend European allies.
"We are really in a good place," he said. "The Europeans are now backfilling it. Some of this is already done, some of this is in the progress. We are working on that."
"If war breaks out, clearly what all allies will do, including the United States, is max out whatever they can do," Rutte said.
"I have every confidence that we will fight that war, and we will win it," he said.
Rutte stated previously that NATO's nuclear umbrella - the alliance's nuclear deterrence mechanism under which the US, France and Britain maintain nuclear bombs for other allies - was not impacted by the changes.
"The strategic nuclear forces of the Alliance remain the supreme guarantee of Allied security and underpin NATO's extended deterrence architecture," read a statement published by NATO's nuclear planning group on Thursday.
Participating countries "agreed to continue enhancing NATO's nuclear deterrence mission by modernising NATO's nuclear capabilities, strengthening its nuclear planning capacity, and adapting to achieve its security interests."
"The Alliance maintains a safe, secure, effective, and credible nuclear posture to preserve peace, prevent coercion and deter aggression," the statement read.
