Pete Hegseth announced a six‑month Pentagon review of U.S. forces in Europe. He said the review’s outcome will depend on how quickly European allies take responsibility for their own security. Hegseth said NATO allies failed to provide U.S. forces access to European bases for attacks on Iran, calling the denial "shameful." He added that the allies put America’s sons and daughters at risk by denying predictable access, basing and overflight.

He announced that the United States will cut down on NATO crisis forces and scale back fighter jets, drones and warships earmarked for European crises.

According to the Guardian, Hegseth accused some NATO countries of "free riding" and threatened to cut force numbers in countries that spend the least on defence. The Hindu reported that future U.S. funding for NATO’s organisational costs would be contingent on allies reaching spending targets, amounting to roughly $790 million in 2026. TASS reported that he described NATO as a "paper tiger" and said NATO needs to be a "two‑way street."

GDELT reported that Hegseth said the review would be a "real review" designed to ensure NATO moves fast and takes primary responsibility for Europe’s defence. Almonitor reported that he said some countries will fail the review while others will pass with flying colors. NPR reported that he called for a reboot of NATO into "NATO 3.0." Dawn reported that he said many NATO allies are following through on defence‑spending vows, but some still need to do more.