The United States wants Europe to assume the majority of NATO’s conventional defense capabilities — from intelligence to missiles — by 2027, Pentagon officials told diplomats in Washington this week, Reuters reports.
According to the report, the message was delivered during a meeting in Washington between Pentagon staff overseeing NATO policy and several European delegations.
Such a shift would drastically transform how the U.S., a founding member of the alliance after World War II, cooperates with its most important military partners.
During the meeting, Pentagon officials signaled that Washington remains dissatisfied with Europe’s progress in strengthening its defense capabilities since Russia’s expanded invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the article states.
U.S. officials reportedly warned their European counterparts that if Europe fails to meet the 2027 deadline, Washington may withdraw from certain NATO defense coordination mechanisms, according to the sources. Some officials on Capitol Hill are aware of — and concerned by — the Pentagon’s message to European allies, a U.S. official said, as reported by Reuters.
