POLITICO: US base review sends NATO allies into race for American forces

The United States will examine European defence spending and access to military bases as part of a six-month review of its military presence in Europe, Deputy Defence Secretary for Policy Elbridge Colby said, as Washington presses NATO allies to assume greater responsibility for the continent’s defence, POLITICO reports.

Colby met NATO ambassadors in Brussels to gauge support for key US defence priorities ahead of the review. The visit marks another step in Washington’s campaign to push European allies and Canada to increase defence spending while assessing their commitment to US security objectives.

Overall, the review “will encourage, enable, and impel a transition to a more durable and powerful European-led conventional defence of the continent,” Colby said in published remarks.

The process has caused concern among some NATO members. Earlier this month, Washington sent allies a questionnaire seeking their positions on issues ranging from defence spending to US foreign policy. A NATO diplomat described the exercise as a “scary exercise,” saying it appeared designed to make allies “pledge their allegiance to the king.”

Colby rejected that characterization, saying the questionnaire was not intended to “dictating” terms or secure “a complete carte blanche” for US military access. He praised allies for “rebuilding their military strength for collective defence.”

At the same time, he stressed the importance of operational access. “We need to be able to have the ability to operate effectively; we need predictability,” Colby said, identifying access to US bases in Europe as a key criterion in Washington’s review.

The review was announced by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth in June, partly in response to restrictions imposed by countries including France, Italy and Spain on US use of their airspace and bases amid the US-Israeli war with Iran. President Donald Trump has previously threatened to withdraw from NATO over such constraints.

The review has also fueled concerns that NATO members could compete to host US forces. One NATO diplomat said allies had entered a “beauty contest,” highlighting their progress under the US-led effort to strengthen European conventional defence.

Poland has already signaled interest. Deputy Defence Minister Paweł Zalewski said Warsaw was “ready to propose” locations, “financing” and “logistics required” for permanently stationing US troops, while stressing that “this review is based not on beauty offers, but on common interests.”

US General Alexus Grynkewich is expected to submit military recommendations next month, with Hegseth due to make a formal decision on the review’s outcome in November.

By Vafa Guliyeva