Pentagon chief acknowledges NATO has stepped up
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told his NATO counterparts
over dinner that he recognizes other alliance members have “really stepped up”
by agreeing to a new defense spending target of 5% of GDP, The
Guardian reported on June 25.
UK Defense Secretary John Healey said Hegseth had been
scheduled to speak first but “set aside his scripted remarks” to reflect on the
discussion and summarize it at the end.
“Essentially, he said, ‘I acknowledge that NATO — you, the
countries — have stepped up, and this 5% figure we’re set to agree tomorrow is
truly historic,’” Healey told reporters during a press briefing.
According to the outlet, NATO allies are expected to welcome
the remarks — especially after Hegseth said in February that the United States
is no longer “focused” on European security.
In response, Healey said that “every NATO defense minister,
including me,” recognizes that the UK and other allies “need to do everything
we can now — not just in 10 years — to turn those spending commitments into
real action.”
Earlier, Bloomberg reported that NATO allies had begun
working on a deal to significantly boost defense budgets in a way that meets
U.S. President Donald Trump’s demand for military spending to reach 5% of GDP.
Diplomats involved in the talks told the outlet that members
of the military alliance are making progress toward that 5% goal for defense
and defense-related spending by 2032, ahead of the NATO summit in The Hague.
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