Media: US defence chief to skip key NATO ministerial meeting

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth will not attend a meeting of NATO defence ministers next month, with Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby set to attend in his place, according to a US official and a European diplomat.

The gathering on February 12 will be the first ministerial-level meeting since US President Donald Trump brought the alliance to the brink of implosion by suggesting he could seize Greenland from Denmark by force, Caliber.Az reports via Politico.

Hegseth, who sparked outrage at last year’s meeting by delivering a blistering attack on European countries for not spending enough on their defence, is not expected to participate, the officials said.

Colby, the undersecretary for defence policy and the third-highest-ranking civilian in the Pentagon, is a close ally of US Vice President JD Vance.

Nicknamed “Bridge,” he is regarded as a hardliner on Europe and a supporter of an isolationist US foreign policy that favours a less active American role worldwide. He also oversees plans for an expected drawdown of US troops from Europe, which has faced repeated delays.

Colby drafted the new American defence strategy, published last week, which downgraded Europe and said Washington would instead “prioritise” defending the US homeland and China.

Before publication, the document underwent revisions by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who adjusted the China section amid trade talks with Beijing. The strategy also states that in Europe, “allies will take the lead” against threats that are “less severe” for the United States – a reference to Russia.

This is the second time a top US official has skipped a high-level NATO meeting, following Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who sent his deputy to a meeting of NATO foreign ministers last month.

Oana Lungescu, a former NATO spokesperson, said the move “risks sending a further signal that the U.S. isn’t listening as closely as it should to the concerns of its allies, especially after Marco Rubio skipped the last meeting.”

“Having said that, there is also an upside,” Lungescu added, “in that Elbridge Colby … is best placed to explain [the new U.S. defence strategy’s] intent and implications, and to hear the views of allies.”

By Aghakazim Guliyev