Raise defence spending or else, Hegseth tells NATO, Europe
NATO members pledged last year to increase defense-related spending to five percent of GDP, but despite increased efforts, many countries say they may not meet that target.
“For too long, polite pleas from our European allies to spend more on their own defense have fallen on deaf ears,” the Pentagon chief told a defense summit in Singapore. he said.
“They’re finally trying to catch up,” Hegseth said at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue conference.
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“Allies who refuse to step up and pull their own weight in our common defense will face a clear shift in the way we do business.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said this month that NATO is facing a cut in U.S. troops in Europe as Washington focuses on other threats and European nations strengthen their defenses. In Asia, Hegseth reiterated that the region’s security “relies disproportionately on American military might, while many of our allies and partners have allowed their own defense capabilities to atrophy.”
Many countries in the Asia-Pacific region have indeed stepped up, Hegseth said, using South Korea as a specific example.
“South Korea has continually invested in its own defense because it cannot afford to treat war like an academic exercise.
“They live on the front lines and thus build a real fighting force.”
He said this “reflects a clear understanding of the threat landscape.”
Hegseth also praised the spending policies of other countries such as Australia, the Philippines and Japan.
“Unless everyone in the game has an opinion, you don’t have a strong alliance. There is no freeloading,” Hegseth said.
Hegseth acknowledged this when asked whether he considered a New Zealand delegate’s plan to increase the Pacific island nation’s defense spending from one to two percent a “freeload”.
“To be honest, two percent is not enough, so two percent means free downloads.
“I have nothing against New Zealand but I want my partners to step up,” Hegseth said.
