Pentagon scales down commitments to defend Europe

The US will offer a “more limited” support to fellow NATO members, its revised strategic document says

The US will prioritize its own defense and offer only “limited” support to its allies in Europe, the Pentagon has said.

In the revised National Defense Strategy released on Friday, the Department of War said European NATO members must play a key role in protecting themselves and providing military aid to Ukraine.

“Although we are and will remain engaged in Europe, we must – and will – prioritize defending the US Homeland and deterring China,” the document reads.

“The Department will therefore incentivize and enable NATO allies to take primary responsibility for Europe’s conventional defense with critical but more limited US support.”

“This includes taking the lead in supporting Ukraine’s defense. As President Trump has said, the war in Ukraine must end. As he has also emphasized, however, this is Europe’s responsibility first and foremost,” the document reads.

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The revised strategy notes President Donald Trump’s efforts to push NATO members to increase defense spending and rely less on Washington. The bloc’s chief, Mark Rutte, recently credited Trump with ultimately making NATO more resilient.

“He has forced us in Europe to step up, to face the consequences that we have to take care of more of our own defense,” Rutte told Fox News on Wednesday.

At the same time, many European officials criticized Trump’s threats to annex Greenland from Denmark, with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas calling his stance “a big blow” to transatlantic relations. 

The Pentagon said it would provide Trump with “credible options” to secure access to “key terrain” in Greenland and the Panama Canal, which he also sought to annex.