NATO allies can’t entirely hedge their security concerns around “reliance on America,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth publicly warned during his visit to Brussels Thursday to meet with allied defense ministers.
Hegseth contended that while the US will continue to support its allies in the powerful military bloc, the Trump administration is demanding that they step up and pull more of their own weight.
“The United States is proud to be here, to stand with our allies, but our message is gonna continue to be clear: It’s deterrence and peace through strength, but it cannot be reliance,” Hegseth said during a press conference in Brussels.
“It cannot and will not be reliance on America. It can’t just be US capabilities.”
President Trump has long insisted that NATO allies beef up their own defense capabilities. At times, the president has questioned the US’ commitment to the mutual defense clause of NATO countries that don’t spend enough on defense.
Top administration officials such as Vice President JD Vance and Hegseth have repeatedly conveyed similar demands.
Hegseth also called for NATO allies to spend 5% of their gross domestic product on defense. Last year, the US spent an estimated 3.3% of its GDP on defense, which is projected to decline over the next decade unless Congress passes an increase such as the one buried in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
The NATO guideline calls on members of the 32-nation bloc to spend at least 2% of GDP on defense. Last year, a record 23 NATO nations hit that target, with Croatia, Portugal, Italy, Canada, Belgium, Luxemburg, Slovenia and Spain falling short, per data from the powerful military alliance.
Now, NATO members are negotiating over a higher, 5% of GDP target, something that no country, including the military bloc’s highest defense spender, Poland, has met.
“We’re here to continue the work that President Trump started, which is a commitment to 5% defense spending across the alliance, which we think will happen,” Hegseth told reporters before the meeting in Brussels.
“To be an alliance, you got to be more than flags. You got to be formations,” he added. “You got to be more than conferences. You need to be, keep combat-ready capabilities.”
Hegseth conveyed confidence that NATO will ultimately adopt that new target threshold.
European leaders have been working to rearm over recent years in response to Russia’s unprovoked invasion of neighboring Ukraine, but there have been many political hurdles to get there.
The gathering in Brussels comes ahead of the summit later this month in The Hague, during which the alliance is expected to consider the new 5% of GDP defense spending target.
During the Brussels meeting, alliance members are expected to discuss new standards for military equipment. Hegseth also skipped the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting at NATO headquarters.
