Hegseth lashes out at NATO allies and announces a review of U.S. forces in Europe

EuropeHegseth lashes out at NATO allies and announces a review of U.S. forces in EuropeThe defense secretary lambasted European allies for failing to provide U.S. forces access to bases in Europe to launch attacks on Iran, calling it “shameful.”Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on Thursday.John Thys / AFP via Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleJune 18, 2026, 5:20 AM EDTBy Mosheh Gains and The Associated PressBRUSSELS — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth lashed out at NATO allies on Thursday, announcing a six-month Pentagon review of American forces in Europe that will depend on how fast they take responsibility for their own security.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.“This will be a real review. 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,” he told his NATO counterparts in Brussels.Hegseth lambasted European allies for failing to provide U.S. forces access to bases in Europe to launch attacks on Iran, calling it “shameful.”“These allies, they put America’s sons and daughters, our sons and daughters, at risk by denying them the predictable access, basing and overflight that never should have been in question at all,” he said.Hegseth said earlier Thursday that America’s allies in Europe must take the lead on the defense of their own continent and help turn NATO into “a read hard-line military alliance.”At the meeting of NATO defense ministers, Hegseth called for a reboot of the 32-nation organization to turn it into a “NATO 3.0” capable of deterring any threat.His remarks came a few weeks after the United States told its allies that it would no longer supply certain warships and aircraft if one of them comes under attack. European allies and Canada are trying to work out how to plug the gaps.“NATO 3.0...