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U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reinforced the Trump administration's message that while America remains committed to NATO, it expects allied nations to significantly increase their defense contributions during a meeting of NATO defense ministers Thursday.
Speaking alongside NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the alliance's Brussels headquarters, Hegseth emphasized that burden-sharing remains a top priority for the new administration.
"I argue that no one has done more than President Donald Trump to redesign NATO as an alliance," Hegseth said during joint remarks with the press before the defense ministers' meeting.
The defense secretary outlined an ambitious new spending target, stating his purpose at the gathering was "to ensure that every country in NATO understands that they need to contribute at the 5% level as an acknowledgment of the threats we face."
This represents a substantial increase from NATO's current 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) spending guideline, which many member nations still fail to meet. The proposal signals the Trump administration's intent to push allies toward much higher defense expenditures.
"The United States is proud to stand with our allies, but our message will continue to be clear," Hegseth said. "Deterrence and peace through strength, yes, but this cannot happen by relying on the United States alone."
Hegseth acknowledged the challenge of leading an alliance with diverse perspectives, telling Rutte: "It's not an easy place to lead many different points of view, but everyone shares an understanding and commitment to our common defense."
Secretary-General Rutte confirmed that allies would reach an agreement on new capability targets designed to protect NATO's one billion citizens. He indicated that formal decisions on increased defense spending targets would come at the alliance's summit scheduled for June 24-25 in The Hague.
"We already know that if we want to meet all these targets, we need to spend much more," Rutte said, acknowledging the financial implications of enhanced military capabilities.
Rutte outlined key military capabilities NATO must develop, including "air defense systems, ground forces with maneuver capability, long-range missiles, and command and control systems."
The NATO chief emphasized that higher spending would help balance contributions between the United States and its European and Canadian partners, while maintaining America's full commitment to the alliance.
The Brussels meeting comes as the alliance faces ongoing security challenges and renewed pressure from Washington to ensure equitable burden-sharing among member nations.
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