Minister of Defense Pete Hegseth Europeans warned this week that the “reality” prevented the United States from becoming its security guarantor and expected a gradual decline in U.S. troops in the region.
“We are paying attention to the security of our borders. We are also facing companion competitors of Communist Chinese, with the ability to threaten our land and core national interests in the Indo-Pacific region,” Heggs said in Belgium on Wednesday in Belgium.
“The United States is prioritizing the war With China In the Pacific. Recognize the reality of scarcity and make resources trade-offs to ensure deterrence does not fail. Deterrence will not fail.“
This is Hegseth’s first trip to NATO Alliance headquarters.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, the Center, participated in sports training with the first battalion of the U.S. Army Special Forces Battalion (Airmorne) in Stuttgart, Germany. (Defsec Hegseth on X)
The U.S. Secretary of Defense called on Europe to “have conventional security ownership on the African continent.”
“European allies must lead from the frontline,” he continued. “Together we can build labor divisions that maximize our comparative advantage in Europe and the Pacific, respectively.”
Hegseth said Tuesday that the United States has no active plans to land in Europe, but is still committed to analyzing the posture of the US troops around the world. Speaking at the US Africa Command Headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, he said the United States is committed to gaining a place in Europe, while stressing that the African continent should not rely on such an existence for security.
Hegseth said in his first visit to NATO
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said: “We focus on the security of our own borders. We also face companion competitors of Communist Chinese, whose capabilities and intend to threaten our land and core national interests in the Indo-Pacific region.” .” (Defsec Hegseth on X)
“The continent should get rid of any aggressiveness, but should be the one who invests the most in the Defense Department nearby,” he said. “That’s common sense. You defend your neighbors and the Americans will work with you to help this defense.”
About 100,000 U.S. troops were deployed All over EuropeAccording to the Ministry of Defense, about one-third of this is in Germany. About 375,000 U.S. troops were assigned to Indo-Pacific Command.
In his first semester, the president Donald Trump Start pulling thousands of troops out of Europe.
Under the Trump administration, the United States has begun to strengthen its presence on the southern border. Last week, about 1,500 U.S. troops were deployed to the southern border, totaling 3,600.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, British Defense Secretary John Healey, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, NATO Secretary Mark Root ( Mark Rutte and Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov attended the meeting of the Ukrainian Defense Contact Group. (Reuters/Johanna Geron)
Heggs also said that any European peacekeeping force sent to help Ukraine win the Russian war must not come from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and will not be protected under Article 5, which states against a NATO country. The attack is an attack on everyone.
The Defense Secretary said the United States does not believe that allowing Ukraine to enter NATO is a “realistic result of negotiations and reconciliation.”
After Trump’s recent call for a boost to defense spending to 5%, Heggs also called on NATO countries to step up efforts.
“The United States will no longer tolerate imbalanced relationships and thus encourage dependence.”
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Earlier this week, Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelenskyy suggested that Ukrainian security assurance without the United States is “not a real security assurance.”
“Some voices say that Europe can provide security assurances without Americans, and I always say no,” he told the Guardian. “No security assurances without Americans are not real security assurances.”
