“We’re doubling down on our effort to make NATO what it always was supposed to be: a balanced alliance with Europe in the lead for its own defense — NATO 3.0,” Hegseth said during an address to NATO in Brussels.
Hegseth said the review would last up to six months, though it could be shorter. He said it would take input from both U.S. and European military commands.
“It will involve consultations with the U.S. Congress and with our allies,” Hegseth said. “It will be designed to ensure that NATO is moving fast and irreversibly toward Europe leading, stepping up to take primary responsibility for the defense of Europe, stepping up to ensure our forces are postured for America’s global needs and stepping up to make sure that our access, basing and overflight are clearly delineated and assured.”
Since Trump took office in 2025, Hegseth and the president have said they expect NATO members to increase their defense contributions. They have also called for Europe to take the lead in maintaining its own defense.
“Going forward, our annual NATO dues will be contingent on other countries meeting their defense spending targets; where other allies do not spend with urgency, our dues contributions will go down,” Hegseth said. “NATO will be a two-way street. It’s only common sense. America cannot care for or pay more for Europe’s defense than our allies do.”
The United States has pushed NATO partners to contribute 5% of gross domestic product to defense. Hegseth said many nations are already moving toward that target and supporting other steps to strengthen the alliance, including rebuilding the defense industrial base.
“It’s historic, and it’s transformational,” he said. “And some allies are already well on their way to meeting this ambitious target, and in some cases ahead of schedule. And as you’ve seen over the last six months, President Trump is also committed to the United States defense spending more than $1 trillion in 2026 and a commitment of $1.5 trillion in 2027. We will lead and exceed our own NATO spending standards.”
Hegseth described NATO 3.0 as a post-Cold War version of the alliance focused on military capabilities ready to deter threats in Europe. He said the model should be led by Europeans rather than the United States.
The review will not remove the United States from NATO or from its obligations there, Hegseth said. He said it is intended to ensure that the United States is positioned as a partner in Europe’s defense, not the leader of it.
“We’re going to keep a close eye on allies who are not doing that and who say ‘no,’ or ‘maybe’ or ‘wait and see’ when it matters most,” he said. “It’s a review that some countries will fail, and others will pass with flying colors. In the end, the review is intended to both improve U.S. force posture and basing and strengthen NATO 3.0. … This is the right thing to do by the American people; it’s the right thing to do by this alliance. Europe can and must take primary responsibility for its conventional defense as it pledged at The Hague Summit and, in the process, safeguarding Europe’s defense for generations to come.”
NATO allies are expected to meet again in July in Ankara, Turkey. The review announced by Hegseth will be conducted as the alliance considers force posture, spending and Europe’s role in its own conventional defense.
