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The White House has developed a tiered list of NATO allies, categorizing them as "naughty" or "nice" based largely on their support for U.S. actions in the Iran war.
The officials are considering options, including troop redeployments, reduced joint exercises, and restricted military salutes to punish non-compliant members, while rewarding allies such as Poland and Romania who backed the operation, Politico reported on Wednesday, citing three European diplomats and a U.S. defense official.
The efforts involve an overview of NATO members' contributions to the alliance, which are placed into tiers, according to Politico sources.
One European diplomat confirmed the concept: "The White House has a naughty and nice paper, so I guess the thinking is similar."
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly made Washington's position explicit: "While the United States has always been there for our so-called allies, countries we protect with thousands of troops have not been there for us throughout Operation Epic Fury.
"U.S. President Trump has made his thoughts on this unfair dynamic clear, and as he said, the United States will remember."
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had previewed the logic in December: "Model allies that step up, like Israel, South Korea, Poland, increasingly Germany, the Baltics and others, will receive our special favor. Allies that still fail to do their part for collective defense will face consequences."
Politico reported that Romania and Poland were positioned among the biggest beneficiaries. Romania's expanded Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base, which Bucharest allowed the U.S. to use for the Iran war, has room for additional American troops.
Poland, one of NATO's biggest defense spenders, already covers nearly all costs to host 10,000 U.S. troops. Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland have been consistently praised by officials for top-tier military spending.
Spain, France and the U.K. either rejected or stalled U.S. requests for help during Operation Epic Fury.
Spain was already in trouble with the Trump administration for pushing back on NATO's 5% defense spending target at The Hague summit.
Bulgaria quietly supported American logistics in the Middle East.
The concept would give the United States options to pull back troop deployments, joint exercises, or military sales from the perceived "bad" allies and redirect them to the "good" ones, according to two European officials.
Few alternatives to troop movement exist, and one official noted the limits: "Moving troops is one option, but it mainly punishes the U.S., doesn't it?"
Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby told NATO allies during a virtual defense ministers meeting: "President Trump has rightly made clear that he expects allies and partners to step up and help secure this vital waterway in the Middle East."
Officials also acknowledged the plan's lack of concrete detail. "They don't seem to have very concrete ideas when it comes to punishing bad allies," one European official told Politico.
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