BRUSSELS, Aug 27 (Reuters) – The Pentagon’s policy chief told NATO members on Thursday that the alliance must adapt and that he wants to hear from allies as part of a review of U.S. forces in Europe he said was meant to enable a more European-led defence of the continent.
Washington announced a six-month review of U.S. troop deployments in Europe in June and in recent weeks sent NATO members a questionnaire covering issues ranging from defense spending to strategy, procurement and support for U.S. foreign policy priorities.
The review will create at least four sets of options for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth by November 6, well ahead of a December deadline for its completion, according to a document seen by Reuters.
The process has fueled questions among European officials about whether the U.S. administration is seeking to use the review as a real consultation, symbolic gesture or negotiating tactic.
“We believe that in order to survive and indeed thrive, NATO must change,” U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby told ambassadors representing NATO countries during a meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Thursday, according to prepared remarks published by the Pentagon.
“This is not a narrow review about places and bases alone, although those are of course important. Rather, it is a look at our strategic posture here in the broader sense,” he said, adding that “it will encourage, enable, and impel a transition to a more durable and powerful European-led conventional defense of the continent”.
Colby also praised progress within the alliance and said that Europe remains a critical area for the U.S.
“Consultations and engagement are a vital part of this review,” he said. “We want to hear from you”.
Diplomats described the discussion with the Pentagon policy chief as positive but preliminary.
The meeting “went pretty well and showed allied efforts and contributions to the burden shifting are on the way,” said a NATO diplomat.
A European diplomat described the discussion as “mainly sounding out” and said “the overall message from Allies was quite clear: Europe is stepping up and unity is key. This was well understood, I believe”.
(Reporting by Sabine Siebold, Lili Bayer, Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali; editing by Bart Meijer and Cynthia Osterman)
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