Pentagon Review Pressures NATO Allies to Take More Defense Responsibility

The Pentagon is pressing European NATO allies and Canada to demonstrate how they can assume more responsibility for conventional defense in Europe as Washington reviews its military force posture on the continent.

U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby briefed NATO ambassadors in Brussels on Thursday, August 27, during a meeting with the North Atlantic Council. NATO said the discussion covered the alliance’s deterrence and defense and the ongoing U.S. review of its force posture in Europe.

No broad U.S. troop withdrawal or alliance-wide force reduction was announced. The review remains in progress, and future force levels, basing arrangements and capability allocations have not been decided.

What Washington is asking allies to provide

According to reporting by The Associated Press and Reuters, the Pentagon has circulated a questionnaire seeking written responses from allies. The questions address defense spending, military capabilities, procurement, strategy, access to bases and airspace, and other forms of support connected to U.S. priorities.

The consultation is intended to measure whether European countries and Canada can carry more of the conventional-defense workload. Colby described the goal as moving toward a more European-led conventional defense of the continent while maintaining U.S. interest in Europe.

That distinction matters. A force-posture review can produce several options, including changes in deployments or basing, but it is not itself a withdrawal order.

Rutte reinforces the burden-sharing message

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Europe and Canada must continue to take greater responsibility inside the alliance and work toward a more equitable division of defense duties with the United States.

Rutte presented the effort as part of a stronger European and Canadian contribution to NATO, rather than as a new treaty commitment. NATO says European allies and Canada increased core defense investment by more than $139 billion in nominal terms in 2025 compared with 2024.

The alliance’s broader spending plan calls for members to invest 5% of gross domestic product annually on defense and defense-related security by 2035. That target includes at least 3.5% for core military requirements and up to 1.5% for related areas such as infrastructure protection, resilience and innovation. It is a 2035 goal, not an immediate annual requirement at that level.

The review’s next deadlines

Reuters reported that Pentagon planning documents call for a decision briefing involving the top U.S. general in Europe and Colby by September 18, 2026. The documents also call for at least four sets of force-posture options for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth by November 6, 2026, ahead of the review’s expected completion in December.

The timetable gives allied governments a limited window to show what forces, infrastructure and support they could provide. It also leaves open difficult questions about which capabilities Europe can generate quickly and which remain heavily dependent on the United States.

Why the capability question matters

European allies may be able to expand conventional forces, air defense, logistics, ammunition production and military mobility, but replacing U.S. contributions would involve more than increasing budgets. NATO’s defense posture also relies on high-end capabilities and strategic enablers, including nuclear deterrence, missile defense, intelligence, command and control, space and cyber systems.

For European governments, the review raises pressure to show measurable capabilities rather than only announce higher spending. For U.S. readers, it concerns how American troops, bases and military assets are positioned overseas, as well as how allies share the financial and operational risks of defending Europe.

For businesses and workers, larger European defense commitments could affect procurement, manufacturing and public budgets, although specific contracts and national spending decisions have not been determined. Communities near military installations may eventually be affected by basing decisions, but no broad deployment change was announced on August 27.

The next significant markers are allied written responses, the September briefing, the November 6 option deadline and the expected December completion of the review.

Sources

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