US pushes NATO allies to take on more of Europe's defense burden

Published Aug 4, 07:53 AM UTC

The Pentagon's top policy official, Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby, held a series of meetings with defense leaders from Germany, Britain, Italy, and Romania between July 23-31, 2026, to lay groundwork for the Europe Posture Review. The review, announced by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on June 18, 2026, will reassess American military presence, basing, and strategy across Europe over a six-month period. Colby outlined the 'NATO 3.0' vision, which aims to shift more conventional defense burden to European nations while the US focuses on other global priorities and maintains nuclear deterrence. Key discussions included Germany's commitment to the 5% Hague defense spending pledge, UK defense spending increases, Italy's regional security role, and basing access and overflight rights as tests for allied nations. The review follows the departure of roughly 5,000 US troops from Germany on May 1, 2026.