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

The Pentagon’s top policy official has spent a week meeting with defense leaders from Germany, Britain, Italy, and Romania, laying the groundwork for a review that could reshape how many American troops stay in Europe and who actually pays for the continent’s defense going forward.

Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby detailed that diplomatic sprint in a seven-part thread posted to X on August 4, 2026, describing the opening moves of what the Pentagon calls the Europe Posture Review, a formal reassessment of American military presence, basing, and strategy across the continent that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth first announced at a NATO defense ministerial meeting in Brussels on June 18, 2026. The review is expected to run up to six months and will examine everything from troop numbers to which allied nations grant the United States the basing access and overflight rights it needs during a crisis, according to prior reporting.

“As the Department of War kicks off our Europe Posture Review, we are continuing regular, detailed consultations with our allies and partners. This Review will be strategic and rigorous, with the goal of accelerating NATO 3.0 and making the Alliance stronger, more equitable, and sustainable. And it will do so drawing not only on DoW’s unique expertise and insights but also on those of our allies and partners,” Colby said.

That phrase, NATO 3.0, has become Colby’s shorthand for the Trump administration’s broader vision of restructuring the alliance so European nations shoulder far more of the continent’s conventional defense burden, freeing the United States to concentrate more of its own military resources on other global priorities while still anchoring NATO’s nuclear deterrent. Hegseth previewed exactly that framing in Brussels in June, telling assembled defense ministers the review would be a real review, one some countries would fail and others would pass with flying colors, naming basing access and overflight rights as two of the specific tests allied nations would face.

Colby’s thread walked through a series of high-level meetings he held throughout July, each aimed at previewing the review’s direction and pressing individual allies on their own defense commitments.

“On July 23, I had the privilege of hosting Germany’s Chief of Defense and Political Director for a briefing on Germany’s historic, highly laudable new military strategy and program. This plan, coupled with Germany’s commitment to rapidly meet the 5% Hague pledge, will,” Colby said, referencing the defense spending target NATO allies agreed to at the alliance’s 2025 summit in The Hague, committing member nations to eventually direct 5 percent of gross domestic product toward defense and defense-related spending, a substantial increase over the 2 percent baseline most NATO members had previously targeted.

Germany’s engagement carries particular weight given recent changes to America’s own troop presence on German soil. Roughly 5,000 U.S. troops were confirmed departing Germany on May 1, 2026, taking with them a long-range fires deployment originally expected to arrive later this year along with an armored brigade rotation, changes that predated the formal posture review announcement but that officials have tied to the same broader recalibration of American force presence in Europe.

Colby also detailed a July 24 conversation with British Ambassador Christian Turner covering a range of defense topics, including efforts to secure freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping chokepoint between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula that has repeatedly drawn American and allied naval attention amid regional tensions.

“Additional defense spending increases by our historic and very close ally, the United Kingdom, are critical for our collective security,” Colby said.

Italy and Romania both featured in Colby’s outreach as well, with a July 27 discussion involving Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Deputy Secretary General Cecilia Piccioni focused on regional security concerns alongside the posture review itself.

“An in-depth discussion with Italian MFA Deputy Secretary General and Director General for Political Affairs and International Security Cecilia Piccioni on July 27 focused on the way forward on NATO 3.0, including regional security concerns and the Europe Posture Review. We encourage Italy’s defense efforts, including in the southward direction, to build a more balanced, effective, and adapted Alliance,” Colby said.

Colby hosted Romanian National Security Advisor Marius Lazurca at the Pentagon on July 29, an engagement he described in terms that suggested Romania has already embraced the burden-sharing message the review is built around.

“On July 29, I hosted Romanian National Security Advisor Marius Lazurca at the Pentagon. I previewed our approach to the Europe Posture Review. I also recognized Romania’s forward-leaning approach to burden-shifting. We agreed that it is time for allies to turn defense spending into real combat capability under NATO 3.0,” Colby said.

Rounding out the outreach, Colby described a July 31 call with NATO Secretary General Chief of Staff and the U.S. Ambassador to NATO focused on coordinating the review directly with alliance leadership under NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, work that will run alongside coordination with General Alexus Grynkewich, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe responsible for overseeing much of the review’s military input, according to prior Pentagon statements.

Grynkewich has previously flagged 2027 as a potential flashpoint year for simultaneous conflicts involving China and Russia, a scenario that reportedly factors into how the Pentagon is weighing its European force requirements against competing global commitments.