Pete Hegseth warns 'freeloading' Nato allies 'the era of US subsidising defence is over'

Pete Hegseth has warned "freeloading" Nato allies that the US will no longer foot the bill for their defence.

It echoes President Donald Trump's long-standing demand that European and Nato partners should reduce reliance on Washington.

Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore today, the US defence secretary announced: "The era of the United States subsidising the defence of wealthy nations is over."

"We need partners, not protectorates. We don't have a strong alliance unless everyone has skin in the game. No freeloading."

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His remarks represented a pointed rebuke to European partners, whom he accused of neglecting their armed forces while relying on American protection.

Mr Hegseth said: "For too long, polite pleas for our European allies to spend more on their own defence fell on deaf ears."

He added that European capitals had "hollowed out their militaries".

The Pentagon chief outlined a transactional framework distinguishing between cooperative partners and those deemed to be taking advantage of American generosity.

"We will prioritise working with model allies," he told the assembled defence ministers, including Britain's John Healey.

"We are moving them to the front of the line. Expedited arms sales, deep industrial base collaboration, expanded intelligence sharing, the list goes on, the benefits are many."

Nations such as South Korea, Japan and Vietnam received praise for meeting Washington's expectations, while European countries were criticised for falling short.

Mr Hegseth warned that partners refusing to shoulder their burden would encounter "a clear shift in how we do business".

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He questioned the UK’s special relationship alliance with the United States, branding it "meaningless" unless it matches American military capabilities.

Mr Hegseth said: "You can't just say, 'Oh, we've been friends for a long time, so let's work together.'

"It's: 'We've been friends for a long time, so you better have the same capabilities we do, because if we don't, our alliance is meaningless'."

The US defence secretary acknowledged his direct approach with close partners, noting that he is "probably the most blunt with our closest friends" regarding military requirements.

Mr Hegseth described US-China relations as "better than they have been in many years" following Donald Trump's recent meeting with Xi Jinping.

The Defence Secretary dismissed the diplomatic emphasis on a rules-based international order favoured by European and Asian democracies.

He said: "You can have all the rules you want and rules are great, but if you can't back them up with hard power, the rules are not worth the paper they are written on."

Washington is now demanding that its Asian partners raise defence expenditure to 3.5 per cent of GDP, while pledging $1.5trillion towards its own military capabilities.

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