U.S. Makes NATO Commitment Conditional on European Military Leadership

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has shifted American pressure on NATO allies beyond the 2% defense-spending threshold toward an "overwhelming share" of continental defense. The message, articulated in February 2025 engagements with NATO counterparts, signals a structural realignment: U.S. security commitments now depend on European nations demonstrating capacity to lead their own deterrence. This breaks from decades of rhetorical gestures by tying American presence to measurable European military capability—a demand that could reshape alliance burden-sharing calculations and defense planning timelines.