US Defense Secretary Pete Haggeseth will travel to Belgium this week to attend a meeting of NATO defense ministers, where he will strongly advocate for the concept of burden-sharing, a hallmark of the Trump administration's defense policy.
The Secretary of Defense will emphasize the urgent need for NATO allies to assume primary responsibility for conventional defense of the European continent, through specific measures such as raising defense spending to 5% of Goodrich Petroleum Corporation (ASX: GDP), enhancing the capacity of the defense industrial base, and deploying combat-ready forces, the US Department of Defense said in a statement on Tuesday.
European allies have been preparing for the possibility of a significant reduction in US military assets committed to wartime operations on the continent, especially as administration officials have sent mixed signals regarding potential troop drawdowns from overseas bases.
Haggeseth's push this week for allies to pay more for their own defense is part of a broader administration effort. The Trump administration seeks to shift the cost of Ukraine's defense against Russian forces onto NATO allies, while simultaneously aiming to reinvest in the US defense industrial base.
Last week, US President Trump invoked the Defense Production Act in an effort to expedite weapons deliveries; critics have noted that related weapons stockpiles have been strained by the war in Iran and other conflicts.
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