Pentagon chief touts $1.5 trillion defence budget, urges NATO “hardline” reset

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has called on European allies to assume a leading role in reshaping NATO into a more hardline military alliance, while defending a proposed $1.5 trillion US defence budget as a signal of American strength.

Speaking to reporters in Brussels on Thursday (June 18) ahead of a meeting with NATO counterparts, Hegseth said Washington would be “candid about that both in private and in public,” while describing the budget as a “message to the world”, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

Hegseth argued that the planned spending increase was essential to strengthening US military capabilities and sustaining allied security commitments.

“Building the arsenal of freedom that first and foremost protects America and American interests but also backstops the strength of NATO and our allies”.

He also reiterated that European allies must take a more central role in collective defence under what he described as a reformed alliance framework.

“NATO 3.0 is post-Cold War recognition that needs to go back to a real, hardline military alliance that has real military capabilities capable of deterring right here on the continent and taking the lead for the conventional defence of Europe,” Hegseth said.

The remarks come amid sustained pressure from US President Donald Trump on European NATO members to increase defence spending, alongside indications that Washington intends to rebalance its strategic focus towards China and the Indo-Pacific region.

Trump has repeatedly urged allies to divert more resources to defence, while signalling a potential reduction in America’s traditional role within the alliance.

In May, Washington reportedly informed NATO members it would scale back the deployment of bombers, fighter jets, warships and other assets assigned to the alliance.

Trump has also threatened troop withdrawals from Germany during tensions involving German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as well as from Poland, before later reversing course and announcing additional deployments to Warsaw.

NATO members agreed at the Hague Summit last year to commit 5% of GDP annually to core defence and wider security-related spending by 2035. Hegseth said progress had been uneven across the alliance.

He added that while many countries had followed through, some “still need to do more”.

By Aghakazim Guliyev